The Sky Through Bars - Bible Student ArchivesTHE SKY THROUGH BARS Material collected and compiled by...

THE SKY THROUGH BARS

BYLIGIA BRIE

Copyright 2008, Ken RawsonSecond Edition

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Christian Classics60 Jersey AvenueEdison, NJ 08820

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The Sky Through Bars

Printed in the United States of America

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PUBLISHER’S FOREWORDI remember as a twelve-year-old that a Romanian family in the

Detroit Class corresponded regularly with brethren in Romania.Then WWII came and ended, followed by years of silence untilafter Communism fell in 1989. Yes, the Bible Students survivedin Romania!

As I served the various classes in Romania in the early 1990s, Iwas sobered and inspired by personal accounts of persecution enduredby Romanian brethren even before WWII when the influence of thepriests was dominant. WWII came with the Nazi Occupation until1945, followed by the Communist rule of the 1990s. What a wealth ofexamples of suffering for the Truth! Every return trip to Romaniacaused me to feel very humble among these “living epistles” of jointsufferers with Christ. I was determined that this era of persecutionmust be preserved for future generations and the saints abroad. Itwas unfortunate that the history of the “living epistles” of sufferingand martyrdom of our brethren in Poland was not preserved inpermanent form.

When Sr. Ligia Brie graduated from the university, she wanted tospend a year in full-time service. I asked if she would be willing tointerview the persecuted saints and record their testimonies in a bookbefore it was too late. She readily agreed. The book has been publishedin Romanian. Now it is with heartfelt thanks to the Lord that TheSky Through Bars is ready for publication in English. I knowthese testimonies of “little nobodies” in the eyes of the world, butspectacles to the saints, will touch your heart as they have mine.

My heartfelt thanks to Sr. Ligia for making this book possible.Much appreciation to Sr. Claudia Tosa, who labored long in makingthe English translation. Many thanks to Sr. Alys Schneider and herwilling associates who persevered in the proofreading and stylecorrections. Then again, for her labors in formatting the text forpublication and Sr. Estelle Gill’s artistic assistance with the coverdesign and photographs.

The Sky Through Bars goes forth with the prayer that it willinspire you to quicken your steps in the narrow way.

Ken RawsonJune 1, 2008


Material collected and compiled by Ligia Brie.

The Romanian version was originally published in Cluj-Napoca,Romania, in July 2001.

DEDICATION

The title of this book is significant. Not because it has some poetic,metaphoric force. No! Its significance resides in the fact that this titleexpresses the personal experience of a brother. For years and years he,and so many others like him, have followed the celestial spectaclefrom behind bars, and still, with tears of happiness in their eyes theyexclaimed, “How beautiful is the sky seen through bars!” We are surethat their look penetrated beyond the clouds, beyond the canopy ofheaven, and even beyond the sun.

This book is dedicated to them, as well as to all those who will feelblessed and encouraged by reading it.

We thank all who in one way or another supported us in makingthe publication of this book possible.

Thanks be given to Him, Who makes all things possible. To Himare due praise, honor and glory forever!

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Publishers’ Foreword iDedication iiiTable of Contents v

PART ONE: THE DAWN OF THE TRUTH IN ROMANIA 11. A Short Overview of the History of the Country 52. The “Szabo Moment” 93. “Viata” Society 174. Bringing Their World Out of Chaos (1930-1948) 415. The Communist Period — Trials and Blessings 456. The Activity Since 1990 59

PART TWO: MEMORIES OF A GENERATION 671. “The Best of the Best”

— The Filipoiu Brothers, Rodna Veche 692. “The Old Brood Hen”

— Petru Bote, Cluj Napoca 773. “Because I Whistled in the Church”

— Sandu Mogojan, Manastireni 834. “He Was Defending with Power Our Beautiful Teachings”

— Iancu Petrita, Bihor 895. “The Present Sufferings Are Not Forever”

— Lazar Fodor, Surduc 936. How Were the Life and Trials of the Believer in the

Communist Era — Anuta Fodor, Surduc 105

7. “The Sky Seen Through Bars” — Nelu Galis, Ruginoasa 123

8. “Much Joy Is Ours”— Cornel Negrea, Mierta 135

9. Our Legacy of Memoirs for a Difficult Hour Ahead 139Map of Romania 142Map Index 144Illustrations Index 145

Dawning of the Harvestin Romania

PART ONE

THE DAWN OF THE TRUTH INROMANIA

INTRODUCTION

Generally, two things are necessary to put together a historicalrecord: reliable sources and competency in writing the history.Deficiencies exist in both. For that reason, we assume responsibilityfor what is lacking in this effort, in any way it would be manifested.

Regarding the sources, we found very few written documents. Wewill enumerate them: a few reports in the Reprints (1909-1916);reports addressed to Br. Russell by those who were active inTransylvania, which we will quote in full; also, a collection of WatchTowers from 1920-1923 in the Romanian language, where we see thegradual infiltration of Rutherford’s doctrines; The Siftings of theHarvest, a work that describes the activity of the “Viata” (Life)Society and the trials of that period; The Wakeup Call, whichappeared in 1930 and marks the moment of breaking away fromthe Jehovah’s Witnesses; the Studies in the Scriptures magazine,which covers the first years of the third decade and indicates therestart of the Harvest activity. These are all the written documentswe could find and from which we were able to reconstruct thehistory of those years. From 1934, we continued the history frominterviews with the sources.

Regarding these sources, we have found confusion, contradiction,and ambiguities. For this reason, we have tried to verify informationfrom two or three sources as much as possible. This is especially true

1

2 Introduction

in regard to the interwar events, about which the older brethren relatedbecause the witnesses and direct participants are no longer living. It isnot hard to understand that memories can play tricks on us.

The Communist period was easier to follow, being closer toour time.

At this point, a few explanations are necessary regarding thegeneral structure of “Part One—The Dawn of the Truth inRomania.” For a more thorough and accurate understanding of thehistory of the brethren and their testimonies, “A Short Overview ofthe History of the Country” seemed necessary. The penetration ofthe Truth in Romania and the decade that followed we titled “TheSzabo Moment,” after the name of its principal proponent amongthe brethren (1911-1920). The next chapter is dedicated to the“Viata” Society and follows the line of events up to its breakingdown (1920-1930). From this point up to the establishment of theCommunist regime we will follow with “Bringing Their World Outof Chaos” (1930-1948). “The Communist Period—Trials andBlessings” relates the events that took place during a half century(1948-1989). In conclusion is a brief report regarding the post-revolutionary activity (1989-2000)—“The Activity Since 1990.”

“The Great Romania”

In 1918 all the Romanian provinces were united to form “The Great Romania,” which also included Bessarabia,

the current Moldovan Republic. (Quoted from Page 7)

Naturally, the present psychological portrait of a people dependson the universally accepted truths of its history.

Romania’s destiny did not differ too much from that of othersmall nations in Eastern Europe. Being at the junction betweenOrient and Occident, three great world powers—the Russian,Austro-Hungarian and Turkish Empires—continually took advantageof Romania.

Romania began national emancipation at the same time as itsneighboring nations, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, etc., in the middleof the nineteenth century, completing the process at the end ofWorld War I (1918), at the same time as the collapse of theempires. Until then, the three Romanian principalities(Transylvania, Moldova and Wallachia) had been through a longsequence of wars for the preservation of independence—or at leastsome kind of autonomy.

Between the First and Second World Wars was definitely one ofthe short periods of economic prosperity and political freedom. Butat the end of World War II, the three victors, Stalin, Roosevelt, andChurchill, acting in the well-known style of the great powers,divided the world into spheres of influence. Eastern Europe wasinfested with the red scourge of Communism. Romania, especially,had to endure one of the more severe Communist dictatorships. Asa result, a new half century of regress and waste was to follow.

CHAPTER ONE

A SHORT OVERVIEW OF THEHISTORY OF THE COUNTRY

5

6 A Short Overview of History

From 1985, at the time of Gorbachev’s Perestroika, the Communistregimes imposed upon Eastern Europe started to fall, one after another.The last Communist bastion—Romania—finally fell at the end of1989. Thus ended a long period of deprivation of personal freedoms,such as freedom of expression and freedom of thought. Poor livingstandards due to rationing of basic products, daily electricity black-outs, lack of heat in homes, hot water stoppages, etc.—all contributedto a lack of self-reliance.

The year 1990 brought democracy—a democracy still in itsinfancy. The transition period would prove much longer and moredifficult than at first imagined. For the majority, their welfareremained a dream blown in the wind by the political structuresbeing formed.

This is the history of Romania in a few sentences. As conclusionsmight only be subjective, we would say that these difficult conditionswhich Romanians have always had to endure have developed ageneral spirit of resignation. Revolts would only take place—as thesaying goes—when “the knife would cut to the bone.” The longperiods of slavery of one kind or another—up front or disguised—kept the population in material misery, blocking their access toeducation and emancipation. Most often, people on the edge of sur-vival were content with very little. Presently, the Jubilee spiritmakes its presence known by people being less willing to endurethan they had been in the past. This is manifest in the street revoltsor strikes of many social or socio-professional categories.

The Sky Through Bars follows events as the history of the BibleStudents unfolds beginning in 1911. Therefore, two additionalpoints regarding this period need to be clarified for a more accurateunderstanding of the events that are often referred to by thebrethren in their stories.

In 1911, Transylvania was incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a province with a majority population ofRomanians (70%) whose religion was Orthodox. At this timeTransylvania was undergoing a strong process of forced assimilationwith the Hungarian culture and the Roman Catholic religion.However, a movement of intellectuals developed which played adecisive role in the national emancipation and unification with theother two Romanian provinces—Moldova and “The Romanian

A Short Overview of History 7

Country.” This unification was accomplished in 1918 after the fall ofthe Austro-Hungarian Empire. Romanian’s reunification was theresult of its having joined with the victors: the Triple Entente nations(France, Russia and Great Britain) and other allies (including theUnited States).

Thus, in 1918 all the Romanian provinces were united to form“The Great Romania,” which also included Bessarabia, the currentMoldovan Republic. The majority of Moldova’s population isRomanian but, because of its opening to the Black Sea (among otherriches it possesses), it was constantly coveted by its strong neighborfrom the East, Russia. The latter incorporated the former duringWorld War II through the “Ribbentrop-Molotov Treaty” (1939).

A year later, through the Vienna Conference, a large part ofTransylvania was snatched to be incorporated into Hungary. But atthe end of the war, Hungary, being defeated, again lost Transylvaniato Romania. (The map on page 4 indicates in a dark color the landextorted from Romania during this period.) The territory ofMoldova on the other side of the Prut River became a componentpart of the USSR and was forced into a cruel process ofRussianization (e.g., the Romanian language was studied in schoolsas a “foreign” language).

Josef Kiss and Karl Szabo

The period between 1911 and 1920 is marked by the figures ofKarl Szabo and Josef Kiss, two pilgrims from the United States whoreturned to their native homeland in Transylvania in 1911 for thepurpose of proclaiming the Truth. They settled in Tirgu-Mures, acity with a large Hungarian ethnic representation. From there, theybegan to preach in many parts of Transylvania.

But let us first take a look at the written information we havefrom the Watch Towers, these being reports that Br. Szabo sent to Br.Russell regarding the work they were doing. As mentioned,Transylvania or Romania were not specified—but only Hungary.

In August 1909 (R.4450) the Watch Towers refer to Hungarianliterature for the first time under the title “Hungarian VolunteerMatter,” which announces the availability of the brochure “PeoplesPulpit” in the Hungarian language. It is mentioned in this article thatthe Hungarian language was spoken in most of the Central andEastern European cities.

In October 1913 (R.5337) under the title “Some InterestingLetters” there is an article entitled “The Work in Hungary,” signed byKarl Szabo. Following is his report:

Dear Br. Russell:

The work in Hungary is much more difficult than in America,because the friends, with few exceptions, are very poor, and the work

CHAPTER TWO

THE “SZABO MOMENT”

9

10 The “Szabo Moment”

must be done on a much smaller scale. All would gladly work if theycould find work to do. (This evidently refers to labor conditions.) Wewere obliged to give a number of the books free, and we were glad tobe privileged thus to serve the Lord.

Last year I had 50,000 “Peoples Pulpits” and also 400 volumes ofSTUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES Hungarian. These are all out now, andmore are ordered.

There are at present forty-two small classes in various counties,where we are received with gladness, and they rejoice with us in therevelation of Present Truth. The eleventh and twelfth of May we hada little convention, about 100 being present. How good and howpleasant it was to be there! (Psa. 133:1) Some strangers were amongus that gave evidence of being interested.

Seven brethren were elected as workers and servants of the Truth—Br. Kiss, myself and five others. We have conventions semi-annually,and spend the time in building one another up and studying THEDIVINE PLAN. We rejoice in spirit with the brethren at a great distance,with whom we seldom come in contact. We had a baptism service, atwhich seventeen brethren and ten sisters symbolized their consecrationinto Christ’s death. About 1,000 people were present at this service,even the police, and it was a blessing that they were there, forsomebody wanted to create a disturbance, but the police quicklyrestored order. Praise the Lord!

We believe that none of these blinded men will be able to destroythe work of the Lord, but rather that all things will be done after thecounsel of his own will. One of those who are now opposing the Truthwas with us for two years and was very zealous in spreading theTruth; he gave up a paying position to be more fully used in theservice, and because of his activities was cast out of the Baptistchurch. Now, however, he has turned against us.

There is great need at present for a brother who can speakboth Romanian and Hungarian, to help the friends and to aid inbuilding them up to the full stature of a man. (Eph.4:13) Praythe Lord of the Harvest to send more laborers into the vineyard.—Matt. 9:37,38.

The pastors and priests of various denominations have sought tostop our work in a legal way. We were hauled before the court. Wehave been able so far to defend our course. We hope also in the future

The “Szabo Moment” 11

to be able to hold high the Divine banner, going forth and followingthe living Captain of our faith, as well as his honored servant, ourbeloved Pastor C. T. Russell, and say with the Apostle Paul, “We arenot ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.”

KARL SZABO. —Hungaria.

By saying “Hungary,” Br. Szabo was, no doubt in fact, referring tothe Transylvania region of Austria-Hungary. Nevertheless, besideshimself, there was need for another brother who spoke Romaniansince Br. Szabo was weak in the Romanian language. Both by his ownword—and generations of oral traditions—it was understood that hearrived in 1911, staying in the country for two years.

The next report dated July 1915 (R.5728) relates a story thathappened on the Eastern Front during World War I. This fragmentfrom one of Br. Russell’s convention discourses is entitled, “ALetter of Deep Interest”:

I have something to read to you. It is a translation of a letter. It waswritten in Hungarian, to a Slav brother in the United States, and wasforwarded to us. A portion of the letter follows:

“A Hungarian soldier, injured on the battlefield, was returnedhome wounded. He was there met by some of our brethren, and laterwas led to diligent and earnest study of the Scriptures, and finallymade his consecration to the Lord. This he symbolized last January,at the hands of our dear Br. Szabo. A few days later he was obliged toreturn to the front and to the trench, in Galicia. A cannon shot burnedthe cap from his head; earth caved in upon him. He was dug out byhis comrades and again sent to the hospital. This brought the dearbrother into our midst again, but for a short time only. Presently hehad to return to the firing line again.

“This time they came within 800 feet of the Russian line, andthey received the command, ‘A bayonet charge!’ The Hungarianbrother was at the end of the left wing. He sought only to protecthimself from the enemy, hence he endeavored merely to knock thebayonet from the hand of the Russian with whom he was confronted.Just then he observed that the Russian was endeavoring to dolikewise. Instead of using his opportunity to pierce his opponent,the Russian let his bayonet fall to the ground; he was weeping. Our


brother then looked at his ‘enemy’ closer—and he recognized a‘Cross and Crown’ pin on his coat! The Russian, too, was a brotherin the Lord! The Hungarian brother also wore a ‘Cross and Crown’emblem on his cap.

“The two brethren quickly clasped hands and stepped aside. Theirjoy was overflowing, that our Heavenly Father had permitted them tomeet even on the field of the enemy! They could not understand oneanother’s speech, but by signs they conversed, taking out theirBibles—and the Russian had the SCRIPTURE STUDIES in his pocket witha songbook, all bound in one volume, and a photo of Br. Russell. Thebrother then took the bayonet of the Russian brother, and gave himover as a prisoner of war; and he still remains as such in Hungary,while the Hungarian brother has now been sent to the hospital for thethird time.”

A similar story has been circulating in Romania among the olderbrethren for a long time. Although resembling each other verymuch—it is not certain if this written account is the same story. Also,we do not know if there was any Romanian literature before 1914, butwe know that in that year there were Romanian First Volumes sent tothe front. But people—some of them having become brethren—cameback from the war with them.

A final report regarding the literature in the Watch Towers datesfrom the winter of 1916 as follows:

Beloved Br. Russell:I am very glad to write you, by the grace of the Lord, regarding the

spreading of literature and books this year (1915), and of the manyjoys and blessings which God has bestowed on us in all the trials andtestings of the past:

SUMMARY Books circulated..................................................... 1,650 Booklets.................................................................. 600 Watch Towers......................................................... 6,000 Bible Students Monthly, etc................................... 40,000 The issuance of Vol. II. — THE TIME IS AT HAND

(Hungarian)—is in progress.


Incoming letters, 957; outgoing, 725. 207 have made a covenant with our Lord. Public meetings held.............................................. 90 Parlor meetings...................................................... 4,700 Meetings in the country.......................................... 30

A good number of Romanian publications were circulated. Wehave received the books sent, and are very thankful.

With great love, hope and faithfulness, Your co-laborer and brother,

KARL SZABO

With the exception of the First Volume, we do not know what otherpublications were circulated in the Romanian language. However, itappears that literature was printed in the United States, but since 1919there is evidence of literature being printed in Romania.

The information from the older brethren about this period isvery scarce. But from Br. Ioan Galis’ report, we find out that theTruth penetrated “Valea Almasului” (the Almas River Valley) in1912. A leader of the Baptist Church—Gheorghe Amaru (who alsoknew Hungarian)—had the occasion to talk with Br. Szabo. Hebecame convinced of the Truth and, together, they started a greatwork of spreading the Truth. Many peasants in this area came to theknowledge and acceptance of the Truth, and large baptismal serviceswere organized.

About this time a rich peasant known among the brethren as Br.Danila accepted the Truth. Because of his courage and his boldpersonality, he suffered much persecution from the local authorities,being condemned to prison by every regime under which he lived.During the Austro-Hungarian domination, he was denounced by thepriesthood, which was very influential at that time, and sufferedbeatings and torture from them. Then the Communists put him injail—at least three times. So he spent many years in prison. Br.Danila promoted certain “anti-modernist” concepts among thebrethren. For example, that brethren should be dressed very simplywithout watches, without briefcases, with short hair, etc.—thesebeing signs of humility. (In reality, these ideas generated conflictsamong the brethren, because a great number of them lived in thecity, were educated, and could not accept these kinds of rules.)


During this time, two large Bible Student centers of activity werebeing crystallized in Cluj and in Tirgu-Mures, where the Truth cameto be embraced by more educated people who, in turn, became veryuseful in continuing to spread the divine message.

Br. Szabo’s method has been described as follows: he woulddisplay The Divine Plan of the Ages on high traffic roads or inplaces by the nominal churches, and then he would talk to thepeople who stopped to listen. He would travel to different villagesand cities to colporteur. Br. Szabo would then teach those whoaccepted the Truth to do the same. They initiated studies in smallcircles and then, in time, they started organizing public meetingsand local conventions.

Despite the poverty and the severity of the regime supported by theclergy, the Truth found many open hearts in various walks of life andsocial standing. From these small glimpses of the early moments inthe time of Harvest, the Bible Student movement in Transylvaniadawned gloriously.


From these small glimpses of the early moments in the time of Harvest, the Bible Student movement in

Transylvania dawned gloriously. (Quoted from Page 14)

Brethren Who Worked at the Society1920-1930

Vasile and Maria Hurdubaia

Katy Ferencz

The Initiative

This chapter regarding the “Viata” Society has the most writtensources of information. These include a collection of WatchTowers from 1920-1923; The Siftings of the Harvest, which relatesevents between 1920-1926; and The Awake Call, dated 1930,which reproduces “The Resolution of the Polish Bible Studentsfrom America” (Detroit, Michigan, February 1, 1930), whichjustifies the separation from the Brooklyn Society. Between theyears 1926-1930 there is a documentary gap. That was a period ofdifficult agitation when the fall of the Society, resounding courttrials, and large divisions took place.

Going back to the beginning, in 1920—due to the success of themovement in Transylvania—the need for a new printing press wasacutely felt. Until then, much of the literature was printed in theUnited States, though some was printed at different printing shopsin Romania.

At the same time, due to the ethnic demographics of Transylvania,other questions arose. Would the Society be Hungarian orRomanian? Would its president be Hungarian or Romanian? Wouldthe headquarters be in Tirgu-Mures or in Cluj? These questions werediscussed before the setting up of the Society—and continued to existand consume the Society in the years following.

CHAPTER THREE

“VIATA” SOCIETY

17

18 “Viata” Society

Finally Rutherford decided:

“Because there is a great number of people who have receivedand believed the message of the kingdom as taught by the Societyand the Association in Romania and they all speak Romanian;because the Society and Association through its legitimate officialsconsider it in harmony with the Lord’s will that a more activewitness be given in Romanian; Therefore, putting our trust in IacobB. Sima, a native of Romania, who from 1912 resided in the UnitedStates, and believing him to be a fully consecrated Christian and infull harmony with the politics of the above cited Society andAssociation, we name Iacov B. Sima as the representative of theSociety and Association to work for it and under its direction andcontrol for the Romanians; and for this he, the above named Sima,is hereby authorized and sent by the Society and Association inRomania to lead the Lord’s work in this country; this impliespreaching the good news of the kingdom message, both orally andthrough written literature, and to do all he can to attract and unitethe Lord’s people and to enlarge the kingdom message throughthose who have a hearing ear.

The named Karl Szabo will oversee the brethren and theleading of the work in the Hungarian language, which he speaks;and the named Sima will perform the same duties concerning theRomanian work…

For everybody’s convenience, the branch named above will beknown as the ROMANIAN BRANCH but this will also lead the workin the Hungarian language.”

The letter was signed by J. F. Rutherford and dated April 1, 1920(Watch Tower, February 1921).

Who was Iacob B. Sima?An announcement published at Sima’s death in a newspaper of that

time read: “Yesterday the newspaper reporter Iacob B. Sima, journalistof great talent (he was a correspondent of many American pressassociations), finished his life.”

Truly, Br. Sima could have built a strong career in his profession.But in America he met Pastor Russell (as he used to say “he shook theLaodicean messenger’s hand”) and this changed his life.

“Viata” Society 19

After eight years of residency in the United States, he came back toRomania, and under the supervision of Rutherford, he formed a branchthere of the Brooklyn Society, a branch that took shape as the “Viata”Society. An extensive activity in printing, colporteur work, pilgrimvisits, and strengthening of the classes began to revolve around thisSociety. In fact, Br. Sima invested an immense amount of money inthis Society—$33,000 (6,494,718 lei)—at the monetary value of theyear 1920 (Siftings, p. 26). When he became the president of theSociety, he was about 30 years old. (His exact age is not known, but itcan be deduced approximately from one of his expressions “eventhough young in age”—and also from the photos of the time).

A close co-worker of Br. Sima, with exceptional talents, was Br.Onisim Filipoiu. His story is recorded in more detail later in this book.But here we note that Br. Onisim, before knowing the Truth, was anofficer in the Austro-Hungarian army. He had a good education, alively intelligence, a tenacious spirit, an organized, methodicalthinking process. Additionally, he possessed quite a bit of wealth, allof which he invested in the Society. He was named later byRutherford “the representative of the Society” and the president fromBrooklyn collaborated with him in all the problems that arose.

Letitia and Iacob Sima


Another brother with a distinguished character and a reliableco-laborer of the Society was Br. Vasile Ciucas. He remains alive inthe memories of the brethren because, in the discussions about thepast, his name comes up frequently. He was a peasant from Ileanda,intelligent, meek, and of great perseverance. Many brethren came tothe Truth through him, because he had a special talent for explainingthe Truth. A letter from another brother appeared in the May 1923Watch Tower entitled, “Where the Birds Sing”:

Beloved brethren: yesterday I arrived in Jac, where I was receivedquite warmly. After I came from Cluj to Panticeu, I was much sicker,but here I feel better again. It’s in a wilderness state. The surroundingforests are beautiful, they are turning to green and the sweet songsof the birds resound majestically through the branches. The areasurrounding the house where I stay is nice enough, but simple. Thegardens and the orchards are green and beautifully in flower. Thegentle breeze raises in the air the sweet aroma of the blossomingtrees. The climate is rather pleasant in all. The food and water aresplendid, as well as the rest.

I’m constantly thinking of you, as to how you are, and I would havemuch more peace if I were with you. Sweet greetings to all at theSociety. Your brother in Christ, Vasile Ciucas.

Among these brethren there are others about whom we do nothave much information. But they, like the ones already mentioned,also spent their lives in spreading the Truth, demonstrating theirfaithfulness through word and deed.

However, it is evident that this branch of the Watch Tower with thetwo sub-branches—one in Cluj, the other in Tirgu-Mures—was non-functional. About the Hungarian side, very little is known. In thebeginning, it was led by Br. Szabo together with two other brethren.But Br. Szabo left and, in fact, disappeared entirely from the scene (wedo not know where or why), and so the problem of his replacementcame up. Committees were formed and dissolved. Then still otherswere formed and the Society in Cluj was brought into this conflict.

There were also conflicts between those who believed in andsupported the Brooklyn Headquarters—and those who rejected it andtried to convince the brethren from the “Viata” Society to do the same.


“The leaders of the brethren in Tirgu Mures said that they wouldchoose only the Watch Towers written by Br. Russell for publishing.Question: Do the Romanian and the Hungarian brethren fromRomania believe that from 1916 the Lord didn’t give any light to hisbeloved?” [THE SIFTINGS OF THE HARVEST, p.11] Also, “But if thework of the Harvest from 1917 was great, full of happiness and joy,from 1918 on, it is exceedingly great. From 1918 the Lord is in histemple, judging and talking to his people through the many beautifulrevelations and encouragements.” (Ibid., p.4.)

It is possible that these brethren believed strongly in the workpromoted by Rutherford. Yet, as it would be proven later, those samebrethren who wrote the above, would take a firm position againstthe Brooklyn Society in 1930. From what we were told, Br. Simagradually began to see the wandering from Pastor Russell’s teachingsand, therefore, began to censor those of the Brooklyn Society whowere further from the truth he knew. In fact, Rutherford found out thatBr. Sima was working too “independently” and sent a commission fromGermany to verify these reports. But the results of this commission’sreport to the Headquarters is not known.

The Printing Press

In 1920 the establishment of the Bible Students center in Cluj wasgreeted with much joy. It was initially located on Surdu Street in ahouse too small for all the activities that were going on there.

The brethren know the situation we spent days and years in,regarding the lodging and the living conditions. There were nights—and it was rare when this was not the case—that 10 or 15 brethrenslept in a room as big as 3 meters wide (9.8'), 4 meters long (13.1')and 2.60 meters high (8.5'), others slept outside, in the attic, at theneighbors’ and in other places. We owe it only to God that we werenot hit with an illness because of the infected air. You were never surethat you would sleep all night in the same place where you went tosleep. Many times you had to change places two or even three timesper night, or you had to restrict your space so another one or twobrethren who arrived during the night would have room to sleep withyou in a bed as wide as 70 cm (27.5"). (Ibid., p. 29.)


The need for more spacious lodging was obvious. So in 1924 anold, dilapidated house was bought which was located in downtownCluj on Regina Maria Street (currently the “Heroes Boulevard”).During one year a new three-level house was built.

It is true that the house is bigger today than projected in thebeginning, and it cost three times more then we had calculated in thebeginning; and to be sincere, if we had to do this again (which wedon’t wish for ourselves or our children), we would do it a littledifferently. But who had known from the beginning all the obstaclesand barriers that we would come across? … Then the city requiredus to build at least three levels, and during the next five years to addanother one, which was not planned in the beginning. We planned ontwo levels only, which would have cost us 1,800,000 lei. The printingshop was planned to be smaller, only 13 meters (42.7'), and withoutoffices. It is now 23 meters (75.5') and with two levels, and even soit's almost too small. … If somebody would ask us to do this againfrom the beginning, and to go through all the difficulties we wentthrough, we would prefer to be put in jail and to have wood choppedon us. (Ibid., p. 30.)

Truly, this construction raised many problems, maybe even morethan it solved. One of the greater problems was its financing, whichwas one of the main causes of its bankruptcy. The following passagereflects this issue:

Where did the money come from? … The donations of the brethrenwere 900,000 lei. … The loans from the brethren were 1,416,000 lei,which are almost all paid off. Again, where was the money comingfrom? The response is clear: the money was borrowed from banks andfrom private individuals, and for which during the year 1925 untilOctober 1st we paid 537,159 lei interest. By January 1st 4,500,000 leiwas spent on the house. Additionally, 3,500,000 lei had beenborrowed from private individuals.

As it is well known, in the fall of last year we arrived at a situationwhere we were not able to pay even the interest. … The monthlyinterest would increase to more than 100,000 lei—the danger wasdreadful! And it was a time when we would have preferred to dierather than live. … Then Br. Rutherford, seeing the danger that was


awaiting us, intervened in May of last year to provide us with3,700,000 lei from a London bank. With the past due balance of theSociety, the bank loaned to the house in Cluj through Br. Rutherford7,600,000 lei, with an interest rate of 7 percent. … The house is,therefore, owned by the Bank and 15 to 20 years will pass till it willbe paid off. (Ibid., p.31.)

Now for a look at what the Society itself owned. On July 1, 1926,the Society owned 22 printing machines, valued at 7,190,000 lei.

The equipment included:

· 2 collating machines· 2 printing presses· 1 folder· 1 stitcher· 1 gold-embossing machine· 1 paper cutter· 1 motorized paper trimmer· 1 perforator· 1 gluer· 1 press· 1 rotary collator· 1 machine for making/printing stereotype plates· 1 press for corrections· 300 kg. of type· A variety of type-faces and sizes· 1 machine for making/printing zincograph plates · A stop watch, a calculator· 1 automated machine for printing.

The value of the furniture of the press and of the offices was244,850 lei and the paper was 512,850 lei. It is no wonder that theprinting shop was considered “the most modern printing shop inTransylvania” (Ibid., p. 47). Not all these machines were acquired atonce. Some of them came from the old printing shop; others werebought specifically for the new printing press and were of the mostrecent technology.


What was printed?

Literature PrintedBetween 1920-1925

by the “Viata” Societyin Romanian and Hungarian.


From this huge inventory, it may be deduced that a considerablenumber of people were engaged. One announcement to recruitpersonnel stated:

Hiring: The Society is in need of a young sister, bright, quick,healthy in body and soul, in order to learn how to feed paper to themachines in the printing press. Those who match these criteriashould write to us (should not come in person), showing her age, ifshe knows Hungarian, how much education she has, and if she hasany dependents. The position is to be occupied immediately. (WatchTower, May, 1923)

Pilgrims and Colporteurs

Most of the brethren were engaged in pilgrim and colporteur work.(See, for example, the conditions of the pilgrims and of the colporteursas they are described in The Siftings of the Harvest, pp. 9, 10).

The happiest part of serving in the Lord’s work is when you areable to talk with people and tell them about the Truth. It fills the heartof the speaker with joy and happiness and spreads the joy of the Lordto those who are listening. Therefore, as long as the work of the Lordto spread the Kingdom Gospel is not ended and the career of theChurch on earth is not ended, the colporteur service is and will be themost important of them all.

The pilgrim service is important in its own way, but less pleasantfor the pilgrim than colporteur work is for the colporteur. Theexperience demonstrates that only a few can bear psychologicallyin this service for a long time. How many faithful brethren, full ofzeal and of the love of Christ, entered this service only to stop in afew years completely discouraged?

Their service among the brethren puts them in connection withall their hardships and these have a great effect on the pilgrimand it is seldom that he doesn’t personally become touched andinfluenced by these, and it is not rare that they remain with him forlife. He goes to a meeting—finds the brethren busy, discouraged,absent-minded, indifferent, and even sometimes divided and at oddswith each other. Somehow he gets the brethren to come together. Thepoor pilgrim seeing this state of things almost becomes discouraged


himself; he almost doesn’t know what to say—what would help them,what would stimulate them more. He starts his talk. One sleeps,another looks through his hymnbook, still another writes down verses,and so on. The discourse is over; the brethren leave; the pilgrimremains by the table. In his soul is great anxiety: was his coming ofany value? Will they go back after the meeting to the same things theyleft to come to the meeting—the overwhelming and unending dailyduties, unmindful of the spiritual things, with the lack of love and lackof understanding between themselves, and so many others? Wasn’t heat this class over and over again with the same results? Were not somany other pilgrims there?

And maybe sitting by the table his hands fall down, histhoughts traveling to other hundreds of cases like this one that hehas encountered in his few years of pilgrimage and he is oftencompletely discouraged. In this state, he goes from meeting tomeeting with the same result, until one day he gives up.

Somehow, this sad pattern does not sound foreign to us in thepresent. On the other hand, it is interesting to note, though, how muchthe colporteur work was appreciated. The Communist years were ableto erase entirely this activity from the conscience of the brethren sothat even after ten years from the Revolution—too few realize itsimportance and even fewer are practicing it.

In the May 1923 Watch Tower, the following pilgrims are listed asbeing “sent by the Society”: Karl Szabo, Vasile Ciucas, TeodorCuciulatan, George Copos, Vasile Costea, Lucaci Nemes, Josef Kiss,Jacob Beniamin, Teodor Veres, Hant Rosch, Emanuel Chinte, OnisimFilipoiu, Jacob Thiess, George Berariu.

In the same issue of the magazine (p. 68) under the subtitle“Colporteurs,” we find more about the life of the colporteurs and howliving expenses were provided for those involved in this activity:

Those who are able, and there are many of these, should enter inthe colporteur service. These receive a big discount, which will covertheir living expenses, etc. Those who can do that should write to usand we will give them instructions of how to proceed.

There are brothers and sisters in all classes, who can consecrateat least part of their time to this service. Being summer, the villagepeople are working the fields, we will try to do this on Sunday andduring holidays. All villages must be scouted, one by one.


1920s - 1930s

Ecclesia in Ocna Slatina

Ecclesia in Sadu


Various Meetings1920 - 1930


Truly the villages of Romania have been visited with this messageof the Kingdom.

In the same issue of the magazine (p. 77) we have a “Report ofthe Lord’s Memorial,” and it says: “The following classes havereported the number of consecrated brethren who in the evening ofMarch 30th partook of the Memorial of the Lord’s death.” There are120 ecclesias listed with the number of members for each class. Atthe end, the report adds the following: “Others who partook were118 in Hungary, 68 in Czechoslovakia, 24 in Yugoslavia, 9 inBulgaria—2,955 in total.”

We conclude from this that of the 2,955 brethren in EasternEurope, 2,736 were in Romania. Among the largest meetings were:Vulcan—183, Aninoasa—146, Iapa—105, Cluj—87, Tirgu-Mures—83, Rodna Veche and surrounding areas—83. The first two places list-ed are on the Jiu River Valley, and currently we do not know of anybrethren there. The number of brethren in Iapa is less than half of whatit used to be, and Tirgu-Mures has about a third of the numberlisted above. In Rodna there are ten brethren living today. Cluj hasmaintained about the same number of brethren.

A few other places on the report where there are still brethrentoday include: Baia-Mare and vicinities—60 (same today), Lupeni—52 (today—3), The Hungarian Manastur and vicinities—50 (today, ifwe include Bica, the number is about half), Jimbor and vicinities—45(today—7), Uioara—41 (today Ocna-Mures—8), The RomanianNimigea and vicinities—29 (today—1), Turda—34 (today—7),Feldru and vicinities—24 (today—10), Bucharest—23 (today—8),Gilau and vicinities—21 (today—7), Arad—20 (today—6), Ulciugand vicinities —18 (today—40), Macau—17 (today—1), Feleac—15(today—1), Cucerdea—14 (today—80), Urca de campie—14(today—8), Sibiu—11 (today—2), Salsig—11 (today—15),Apahida—9 (same today), Astileu—3 (same today).

There are a few places mentioned on that same list where todaythere are no brethren. But there is another factor which has to be takeninto account. We do not know how many places and how many peoplebecame Jehovah’s Witnesses at the separation of 1930. However, it isinteresting that six places from Bukovina are mentioned in this list ashaving brethren: Voitinel—41, Old Frataut—36, Upper Vicovel—13,Stulpicani—11, Radauti—11, New Frataut—8. There is also a placefrom Bessarabia (today—Republic of Moldova): Corgeuti—11.


Ecclesia in Cluj1920


Bessarabia and Bukovina were annexed to the Soviet Unionduring World War I, and any ties with Romania were cut becauseof the de-nationalization and Russification efforts. In Criva—Bessarabia—there were brethren since the interwar period when Br.Ciucas was a pilgrim there. Nobody knew anything about them until theyear 2000, which fills us with surprise and raises new questions.

The total number of brethren in Romania is about half—currentlyestimated at about 1,000 brethren. In the course of time, more brethrenhave been discovered in other areas, but they are still concentrated inthe upper half of Transylvania. (This topic is discussed later.)

If we remember that the message of the Truth reached Romania forthe first time in 1911 and the date of this report is 1923, the numberof brethren being over 2,700, we can develop a better idea of thewitness work performed during those 12 years. Even though it is justa number, we cannot but be moved by the effort, the sacrifice, and theenthusiasm lying behind that number!

Opposition

There is one topic that has not yet been touched regarding thisperiod, and this topic is discussed in a Watch Tower magazine,namely the relationship with the authorities.

In March 1923, Br. Ion Burlacu sent the following report, whichwas published.

The Priests and the TruthDear Brother:There was a priestly conference here yesterday, which gathered

(not for proclaiming the kingdom of God, but) for criticizing the sects.I rejoiced much in this occasion, believing that my plans will beaccomplished, but as was seen, the Lord’s power was accomplished.

After the conference was finished, I asked to be allowed to speakas well, but the priests were all enraged at this request and shoutedthat I will not be allowed. They were telling the people not to listen tous under any circumstances. After all our insistence to speak beforethe people (before whom we have been accused) in order for them tosee which one of us is lost, they admitted that we could talk but onlyprivately with them. Finally, not having another possibility, I accepted.Then we entered with all the priests in a school to consult witheach other. But what could you see? The people rushed over to us,


overcoming us, because they wanted to hear (poor world) thesethings. Then they were forced (in their own interest) to stop talking tous, but the people shouted that we should speak. Then I opened theScriptures and I started to show how they impose their traditions onthe people, and how far they are from the New Testament.

During this time there arose such a big dispute between the peopleand the priests, that you would think it was at the tower of Babel.Some believed what the Scriptures say, others did not. (Acts 28:24)Finally, the priests, in order to heal their reputation with the people,asked me to be baptized by them, in other words to repent of what Ihave done, and then they would anoint me with myrrh. I proposed tothem that if they will explain to me the prophecies and Revelation,and also the parables and the words of the Scripture, then I will givein. Seeing that my proposal was immense, they said that they couldnot understand all these things. Then I asked them to explain to meonly the books of Ezekiel and Revelation. Finally, seeing that theywere in too deep, where they did not expect to be, they suggestedthat we should close the discussion for now and continue it onanother occasion.

I remain happy, etc. N. [Ion] Burlacu —Regat

Elena and Ion Burlacu


(Note: Regat is in the Old Romanian province including thesouthern and eastern part of Romania.)

We should say that this incident was among the happier ones. Inthe December 1921 Watch Tower, we have a less fortunate incident, inthe form of a grievance addressed to the Secretary of Internal Affairs,which was supposed to guarantee religious freedom in Romania:

The Freedom of Religion in Romania

The freedom of all denominations is guaranteed, as long as theirservice does not interfere with the public order or with good morals.— Constitution, Article 21

No punishment can be established or applied aside from the powerof the law. — Constitution, Article 16

A number of citizens from Jara de Jos, believers in God and theHoly Scriptures, addressed the following grievance, which speaks foritself, to the Secretary of Internal Affairs in Cluj:

Mister General Secretary, We, the submissive servants of the present earthly rule, urged by

the illegalities that surround us daily, are constrained to inform youof the following …. We and our brethren, who through the grace ofGod are called to faith and emptied of the worldly things, in October9th of the current year, were having our study and were prayingfervently, when the gendarmes came upon us. They disturbed ourmeeting and escorted us, as in the Holy Scriptures (Mat. 26:57-58),before the Local Post Sheriff, Gross Dumitru, who, after receiving usone by one in his office, where after the question, “Are you aProtestant?” and after the answer “yes,” acting like a wild beast,beat me and 10 other believers—in the beginning with his hands andthen with a club — so badly that my body and my brothers’ weretotally broken and purple like a plum, and Ioan Blaga from Micushad his right arm broken, and Simion Popa from Jara de Jos had hisleft shoulder broken so badly that they are now crippled, and theybeat Simion Beleu to the extreme, and therefore they are now unableto work, and to the others they caused serious injuries.

If the believers are in these sad situations, we ask ourselves aquestion: Where is this order coming from? Aren’t we permitted to


pray to the Lord God Sabbaoth, who created us all and who createdeverything, who is our Creator and who rules the world? …

This grievance is signed by a group of eleven brethren.This was not an isolated case! And even if Romania were a

constitutional monarchy with a democratic regime, the rights of theindividual being guaranteed through the law—all this was purelytheoretic when it came to respecting religious rights. The clergy wasunusually powerful and influential, and any possible diminishing ofthe authority, which they had over people, was harshly punished.Their main instruments were the gendarmes, who listened almostblindly to the priests.

This state of affairs, which reveals the abuse of the authorities inmatters of manifestations of faith when it differed from the majorityopinion, would continue until the regime changed. And then thebrethren would have to endure other persecutors (the Communists).More than once was a brother accused by this “democratic regime” ofbeing Communist and severely punished. Then when Communismreigned, that same brother was accused of fighting against the regime,being on the side of the old order and penalized as such!

In Search of Solutions

Let us come back now to the Society. The Siftings of the Harvestgives a report about the activities, the successes, and the trials of thosewho worked at “Viata.” In 1926 the Society was in a great dilemma.The spending for the construction of the printing press on ReginaMaria Street was costly, much too costly, as can be seen in the reports.In addition, among the brethren the waters became more and moremuddy. One of the problems was doctrine—and specifically the“Channel” from Brooklyn. Some of the brethren were able to seemore and more clearly the wandering from Pastor Russell’s writings.On top of this, other problems began to manifest themselves. Thesewere jealousy and a lack of trust toward those in the Society—theaccusation that they were living in luxury, etc. All these concernscontributed to eroding the strength of the Society.

An extreme solution was proposed as a result, but it would notprove viable.


Joint-Stock CompanyWe decided therefore to propose to the brethren the following

plan:To make a Company of Shareholders out of the “Viata” Society,

and the shareholders should be only brethren, and only brethren inthe present Truth, not in the one from 10 or 15 years ago. Thewealth of the society is 11 million lei found in the power of thosewho put the money down and those to whom we still owe money.Let’s divide the 11 million lei in shares of 1,000 lei each and have11 thousand shares. In Romania there are 4,500 brethren. Some ofthese are poor. But let’s say that out of them we could find 2,200who could buy 5 shares each, in the value of 1,000 lei each,meaning 5,000 lei, out of which we would pay the debts and thosewho put down the money, and then the printing press will not beowned by a few brethren, but by all the brethren.

Therefore, if we could find 2,200 brethren, each with 5,000 lei, thefollowing things could take place:

The printing shop today has about 40 thousand books, at the costof 2.5 million lei. If the printing press would be owned by brethren,they could give the books out almost free, and if needed, even totallyfree. Imagine today giving 40 thousand books free, like thePHOTODRAMA, Volume Six and Volume One, and booklets of all kinds.Imagine the light these could pour on the darkness and how much thiswould advance the cause of Truth.

Remarks: (1) The editors of the magazine still believed strongly inthe work that was taking place after 1916. (2) However, when theylist the books that would be a light, we see that they refer to thePastor’s books. (3) The affirmation that in Romania there were 4,500brethren is amazing, which means that from 1923, in just three years,the number doubled.

This proposal shows the status of the Society and the wayeverything would function under those conditions. The intention ofits promoters was good. They were sincere in what they believed andin the way in which they acted—as was demonstrated in the eventsthat were soon to follow.

This proposal was left without any action taken. And at this point,the account of the short-lived “Viata” Society ends.


As mentioned earlier, there is a gap in documents until 1930. Whathappened during all this time? Two things took place with certainty.First, the leaders of the Society—Sima, Filipoiu, Ciucas—came tounderstand the erroneous orientation of Rutherford and the necessityof turning around 180 degrees. Second, the Society fell withresounding court cases that followed—and the entire gamut ofquarrels, hate and gossip that relentlessly resulted.

How these brethren came to understand the truth regardingRutherford’s movement . . . what the circumstances were that helpedthem become aware of it . . . and how hard the internal fight was foreach one of them to make such a radical and definitive change—allthese dynamics we do not now know. But we trust that though thestruggle of those years was terrible, the peace “within the Veil” willbe glorious.

Epilogue

We will direct our attention now to the message of “TheWakeup Call Addressed to All the Brethren of Romania” that cameout in 1930.

The following were published in the English magazine ZION’SMESSENGER, and knowing that the authors of this magazine wereco-laborers with Br. Russell and were recommended by him, we can’tdoubt their affirmations, especially since some of these deeds reachedour eyes and ears. (THE WAKEUP CALL, p. 1)

The Wakeup Call then reproduces the following: “The Resolutionof the Polish Bible Students from America” (dated February, 1930,Detroit, Michigan); Br. Russell’s testament; the description of the wayin which this was respected and—what evolved as a result—“David’sPalace,” and the conclusions.

Toward the end of the material, the Romanian editors make thesestatements:

We described above only some doctrines and some events fromAmerica involving the “Heads” of this organization, leaving aside theevents that took place here in Romania in the fight for the “golden


calf,” finding it difficult to recall these events to memory, but webelieve that if it be the Lord’s will that these facts come to light, thenthey will come to light, “for it is light that makes everything visible.”Eph. 5:11-13

(Editor’s Note) Knowing now from the mouth of eyewitnesses andof those who know the situation closely, the wheeling and dealing oftoday’s leaders of the organization, who could claim any longer thatthe reasons of some for division from the current leadership of thesociety are unscriptural, as the flier from August 1st, 1930, sent by theMagdeburg branch, says??!!…

For example, if the deeds performed by Rutherford and Co. inconnection with the scandal revolving around the mammon fromCluj, when they resorted to false documents, court trials, threateningeven with death and denunciations in the Court, contrary to theteachings of the Manna from May 25, in order to fill the lawyers’pockets with millions and to put us to shame in front of the world;and as a result caused harm to all the brethren with the exception ofone already mentioned (in p. 7. Par. 2). Oh well, if we continue toremain careless toward these events and toward the others describedin this magazine, we will notice that in time these events will berepeated again, because if these deeds are allowed for Rutherfordand his people, the weaker brethren will say: why shouldn’t these bepermitted for ourselves as well?!! (Ibid., p. 18,19.)

Here we see mentioned some of the trials that followed after 1926.We can realize the magnitude of these if we consider the things thatoccurred at that time: false documents, denunciations, threatenings,slanders, etc. All these hurt the brethren and stained the Truth in theworld’s eyes. Therefore, we can understand the pain expressed in thewords at the end of this magazine:

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord!We don’t know if after the “trials” we recently went through (Eccl.

9:12) you are our friend or our enemy, but we would like to talk toyou. You were probably surprised that some of the brethren, both hereand in other countries, who have the same faith as you do; andtheir desire, like yours, is to do anything in their power for theproclamation of the kingdom of our King, declared themselves


separated from the leadership of today’s Society and began to workseparately because of what they believe to be their duty to the Lordand their vow of consecration!?

If, before, you were unclear about the reasons that brought them totake this step now, if you carefully read and understood “The WakeupCall,” we believe that it is now clear that our steps are not withoutscriptural reasons, as others state…. (Ibid., p.20.)

Truly, the most prominent Romanian brethren did separate fromthe Brooklyn Society. But the most prominent of the Hungarianbrethren from Romania remained: Kiss, Szabo, M. Maghiarosi.However, Br. Beni—who played an important role among theHungarian brethren in the period that followed—did not separatefrom the Society.

This division must have been extremely painful, as it was aseparation between brethren and brethren. It meant renouncing theprior way of life. When we say this, we are referring to the order theyhad in the organization, because from then until 1990 the brethrendid not form any kind of organization. In addition, it was the endof a systematic, centralized, controlled work. From that point on,everybody did what they could on their own account from individualinitiative without too much support from the outside.

For that reason we believe the brethren who were able to overcomethis crisis, to reorder their Christian lives and to continue to fight—even if on a more restricted scale with fewer resources below theirmaximum capacity and talents—these brethren are worthy of respectand honor. They encouraged themselves and encouraged others whowere in a state of general discouragement and disappointment

We do not doubt that the cause of the Truth itself was questioned.All these events must have brought unfaithfulness to the weaker ones.The siftings were extremely severe.

If we were to draw some conclusions regarding this period, wewould say that despite the trials that followed, the Society played apositive role, at least in the early years. Note that the new printingpress was finished only in 1925 and its modern construction was onlyof benefit for two years. The division and court trial followed. Withthis, many brethren sustained significant material losses. In the earlyyears, brethren like Br. Sima, Br. Filipoiu, and other peasant brethren,


who remain anonymous, invested much in the Society. Much wasinvested in regards to what they owned because we have seen that thegreatest part of the amount spent for the recent construction of thePress was borrowed from banks from the Occident throughRutherford. He was clever to hire the best lawyers to come out withminimal losses from the process that followed. Indeed the Jehovah’sWitnesses (as they would later call themselves) continued their work,moving their headquarters to Bucharest, taking the printing machines,printed books, and the rest of the supplies with them.

It would be difficult to know the percentage of the brethren thatstayed in the Truth at the separation. Some are of the opinion that thesplit was somewhere in the middle.

The Society—before the painful splitting—remained for thebrethren a beautiful memory. Those who served there used to recounttheir memories with warmth to those who would come later. Surely, atremendous help was the printing of books in quantities never printedsince. Also, the spreading of the Truth through the colporteur work,the method used by Br. Russell, was practiced a little longer after thefall of the Society, on a much smaller scale, until it totally ceased.Only recently, some timid forms of witness work are beginning to bemanifest, but the colporteur work itself is a foreign thing to the major-ity of the brethren.

Still, the Society was an unforgettable, memorable experience forthose who were involved.

Br. Filipoiu bought an old manual printing press, and he set it up in one sister’s cellar.

Here for a year, under difficult conditions with jeopardy of being discovered at any time,

Br. Filipoiu clandestinely printed literature. (Quoted from Page 43)

Very little is known about the events, activities or real stories thattook place during these 18 years. Available written documents refer toonly four of these years—1932-1936. There are no survivors from thisperiod of time. The memories of those who knew something aboutthat period are not very clear. This is due in part to the war whichblocks out the memory of everything else. After the end of the war, anuncertain time came when the Communist regime took overRomania’s “rights” with brutality, snatching property, and throwingthe owners in prison. For the population in general, this meant theburden of paying for a huge war—dues to the USSR. All this crueltytook place during the span of nearly a decade and stopped the usualactivities and normal rhythm of life. For this reason, the informationwe have about this period is scarce.

The year 1930 was a tumultuous year. The fall of the Society, theseparation from those who would become “Jehovah’s Witnesses” onthe wave of dirty court trials, slanders, false rumors of all kinds, drovemany brethren to despair, disappointment, and uncertainty. Questionslike: “Who are you with?” “Did you stay with Rutherford?” “Did youcross over to the other side?” were probably very common duringthose days. For that reason, it seems like the Lord providentiallyoverruled that a personality like Onisim Filipoiu would be on thescene at this time. His methodical, dynamic, decisive nature was aninvaluable support for the reorganization of the brethren. If we wouldwant to give his work a fitting title, it would probably be “bringingtheir world out of chaos.”

CHAPTER FOUR

BRINGING THEIR WORLDOUT OF CHAOS

(1930-1948)

41

42 Bringing Their World Out of Chaos

Without the support of an external organization such as the Societypreviously had given, without money or close relationships withforeign brethren, Br. Onisim understood the necessity of continuingthe activities—both through encouraging the brethren by supportingmeetings and by carrying on the witness work as much as possible.We do not know what kinds of relationships were maintained with thebrethren from America and other countries, if any. It is sure, though,that these gradually ceased to exist, so that by the time the Communistregime was set in power, the Romanian brethren believed themselvesto be the only Bible Students left in the world.

From 1932 to 1936 Onisim Filipoiu became the main editor of theStudies in the Scriptures magazine. This was a monthly magazine thatincluded articles from the Watch Tower, taken and translated from theGerman magazine Der Herold. Starting with the fourth issue of themagazine, Br. Filipoiu began to translate and include parts of VolumeV. From January 1933 to August 1935, the entire Volume V waspublished in these magazines.

In the second issue of the magazine, Br. Onisim announced theprinting of the first six chapters of Volume VI, which were alsotranslated from German. These were bound together and could beordered by anybody.

Another announcement that can be seen once in a while in thepages of this magazine was that of the availability of calendars. Thesecalendars were not in the form that we generally think of today. Theywere in the form of a book, including both articles of general cultureas well as articles of a religious nature. The calendars were used in thewitness work as the following ad urges:

Many holidays are about to come, therefore use these occasions.Take all the magazines and study them carefully. Then after you havepartaken of these fat things and have drunk of the sweet drinks,look at what Nehemiah 8:10 says and then use the calendars forthat purpose, they are prepared for those with a thirsty heart whohunger after the bread and water of life. (STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES,Dec. 1932, p. 36)

The magazine’s financial status is shown in the followingannouncement:

Bringing Their World Out of Chaos 43

We have to understand that the magazine has no other means ofsupport than subscriptions and voluntary gifts. The times are hardand the resources are in short supply, which we want to use forprinting “Volume Six,” the unpublished part. (Ibid., p. 132.)

The magazine was published in Arad at the Erdelyi Hirlap, apublishing house, for a year and then in Sibiu at a publishing housecalled Iosif Schmidt.

In the magazine’s last year, in addition to articles from Der Herold,the editor introduced an interpretation of Revelation, the source ofwhich is unknown. “Starting with January 1936, if it is the Lord’s willand if He will help us, we have decided to publish the newest and webelieve the most correct interpretation of Revelation.” (Ibid., p. 252.)

In December 1936, the last issue of the magazine was published.We do not know exactly why the activity ceased at that time. It is verypossible that Br. Filipoiu encountered obstacles from the priests andauthorities that prohibited him from continuing the activity.

Another remarkable activity—performed at great risk—tookplace in the village of Sadu in Sibiu County. Br. Filipoiu bought anold manual printing press, and he set it up in one sister’s cellar.Here for a year, under difficult conditions with jeopardy of beingdiscovered at any time, Br. Filipoiu clandestinely printed literature.We do not know exactly what was printed—it is possible that it wasVolume VI. However, this activity became overly risky and wasstopped after one year. (More details about this activity are found inthe Memoirs section dedicated to the Filipoiu family. See p. 69.)

However, this is the last systematic and sustained attempt, whichthe publishing of a magazine would undoubtedly require, to print andspread the Truth in Romania from that time until 1990.

Still, although publishing and printing ceased—on a smaller scalein a smaller area—the colporteur activity quietly continued to spreadthe Truth.

A Meeting During CommunismManastireni 1965 (Near Cluj)

To realistically describe the Communist period and its effect on thebrethren’s lives precisely and objectively with all of its aspects—would be an impossible task. Therefore, the complete record is left inour Heavenly Father’s hands.

However, we would resort to observing that it left deep markson any person living through it, bringing about a revolution in thepersonality of that individual, in his way of perceiving things,of thinking, and acting. Sometimes these marks go beyond thelimitations of the conscious mind.

Communism wanted to create not only a new political ideology,a new economy, a new social structure, but also a DIFFERENTMAN from the one who had existed before. This new politicalideology dug into the human soul—into its inmost fibers of faithin God. Communism alleged that atheism was the way to thisNEW MAN.

The Communists started acting on these beliefs as soon as theycame to power. They began by “cleaning out” the religious groups.Outside of the Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal, and Adventistchurches, almost all others were declared illegal.

What did this mean on the practical side? Meetings in small orbig numbers, preaching, witnessing, and printing were strictlyprohibited. Even owning religious literature at home would putone in danger.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE COMMUNIST PERIOD — TRIALS AND BLESSINGS

45

46 The Communist Period

These new and pressing circumstances brought about changesinside the Bible Students’ movement as well.

Under the New Auspices

Although with the brethren some things continued to be the same,many aspects developed with new dimensions.

The love for the Truth, for The Studies in the Scriptures, and forthe brethren did not change. On the contrary, this love undersevere trials only shone all the brighter. The Truth became moreprecious because by holding on to it, one was risking his or herfreedom. The Studies in the Scriptures became more valuable asthe possibility of obtaining them became more difficult and as therisk of losing them in the eventuality of an official house searchbecame greater. The meetings with the brethren became sweeter asthe need for stricter confidentiality increased and these meetingsbecame less accessible.

Other issues were emerging, too. The witness work, as the firstgeneration of Romanian Bible Students enjoyed, was no longerpracticable. First, it was strictly forbidden, and second, there was noliterature available for distribution. The small quantities of literatureavailable were not enough even for the brethren.

The meetings also changed their character in the sense thatdiscourses started to gradually replace the studies. In addition,almost all the classes in Romania began to practice that which wascalled the “prayer hour.” This service consisted of a praise service,which took place in the first part of the meeting, where brethrenspoke about the importance of prayer, scripture texts and Mannaswere read, and then it would end with prayers by a few brothersand sisters.

Another new aspect was abandoning the election of elders.This was due in part to the fact that authorities were especiallyhunting for the “heads,” the leaders of the meetings. For thisreason, at every meeting, the brethren who were to serve wereelected on the spot.

The conventions coincided with the Communist holidays: May1, August 23, and with the winter holidays, Christmas and NewYear’s. Usually they took place in isolated places like forests or

The Communist Period 47

houses in the backstreets in the area of Cluj, the Almas Valley, andalso in Sighet, a region where the control of the authorities wasweaker and the people in general benefited from more freedom thanin other parts of the country. At these occasions, the participatingbrethren were even three or four hundred.

Here, for example, is how one of the sisters describes a NewYear’s meeting:

We would stay all night in the house where the meeting washeld so we would not be seen during the night. We would meet inthe evening at 8 P.M. and would stay till morning at 5 or 6 A.M.There were brethren from the entire country. Sometime duringthese nights about 12 brethren would give discourses, each for 1/2hour. When somebody would be really sleepy he/she would requesta song and we would sing it immediately.

We would also find short moments to open the windows to letfresh air in, because the rooms were small and packed, havingabout 15 crammed people seated on one bed, so they couldn’t even

The Valley of the Cherry Tree(1970, Near Sighet)


move. For that reason while we were singing we would stand up tostretch and remove the numbness. But we were able to stay awakebecause the speakers would change fairly often.

Another sister tells about the conventions in the woods:

These meetings were usually in the summer. The brethren werelooking for more isolated places, in the heart of the forest. Iremember some of these meetings we had in the “Capus Valley” atapproximately 20-25 km (12-15 miles) from Cluj. Another time about100 to 150 brethren would meet in the Paniceni-Aghires area.

The brethren in the closest village/city were considered the hostclass. They would bring food for all the brethren. The sisters wouldprepare pies, donuts, homemade bread, sheep cheese, lard, onions,radishes, tomatoes, boiled eggs, and Br. Nelu Galis would bringhoney from his beehives. The host sisters would bring tableclothswoven by hand and lay them on the grass for an area of 10-12 m(33-43 feet) or even more in length. They would place the food onthem and the brethren would sit cross-legged as they ate, talked, andshared experiences. These were truly hours of refuge and escape fromthe shackles of Communism.

The Privilege of Funerals

Funerals deserve a very special place in the memoirs of this book.Despite their mournful character, funerals were considered occasionsof reunion and joy for the brethren. When a more prominent brotherwould die, the funeral would transform into a true convention. Thesespecial occasions were generally tolerated by the authorities—withthe admission that the deceased must be buried. In addition, it wouldhave been too obvious an abuse to pass over the preferences of themourning family. Therefore, the brethren took full advantage of theseprivileges. The funeral would last 2-3 hours and three or fourbrethren would give discourses.

Consequently, funerals were an excellent way of witnessing andprobably the only way at that time. This traditional custom inRomania gave the funeral service special attention—especially inthe villages. Many times the entire population of the village would


be present, and on this occasion, the people would be especiallywilling to listen. People had a general thirst for holy words aboutGod—as generated, no doubt, by the rage of Communism againstreligion. Therefore, most of the participants appreciated thedivine message.

So funerals usually took place in a peaceful environment.However, there were exceptions. One brother remembers one of thesesituations as follows:

“During a burial service, we were told that the Security Force[See page 87] was awaiting us in the village. Therefore, from theburial place we didn’t return to the village, but we went over the hillsand went home.”

One sister says: “We didn’t miss a funeral because there we wouldsee the brethren. And there we usually didn’t have fear. I knowthough, that one time in Finisel, the village priest slapped Br. Intea.The priest had asked him why he went to bury the dead. Br. Inteaanswered without fear and then the priest slapped him.”

The Increasing Need for Literature

But the thorniest problem was literature—or more precisely—thelack of it. As we mentioned earlier, the printing of religiousbooks was strictly forbidden and sanctioned very severely. Infact, it was forbidden to own a typewriter in your house or anyother machine that would facilitate the printing and distributionof literature.

And still the need for books was increasing. Many classes didnot even have a complete set of The Studies in the Scriptures. Thefew books available were exchanged between brethren and theywould take turns in studying them. When one of the brethrenwould get his or her hands on a Volume, he or she would not put itdown until it was read from cover to cover, even if sleeping atnight had to be sacrificed. Several brethren copied entire Volumesby hand. Sr. Verona from Manastireni paid somebody to copy itbecause she did not know how to write. Such a solution wasexpensive. But she obtained the money by selling her hair scarvesmade out of camel hair (which were considered a precious part ofa girl’s dowry).


When the brethren would feel their end coming, they wouldhurry to leave their books as an inheritance to the younger ones, incase their family had no interest in them. Among the most preciousgifts you could give during those times were a Volume, a Manna, ahymnbook, etc.

Incidentally, The Harp of God and The Finished Mystery(“Volume VII”)—which were kept from the time of the Society—were also circulated among the brethren.

Clearly, the brethren who fought for, took the risk, and finally wereable to accomplish something regarding the literature deserve special

Handwritten copy of the Index of Scriptures quoted inVolume VI, Studies in the Scriptures.


praise—not only before the brethren but also, we believe, before God.One of these brethren was Br. Budiu.

A close friend of his, Br. Niculae Zoicas, tells us about him:

I met him for the first time in 1967. That year a historic eventtook place, which had a strong psychological impact on me andmy wife. I was 25 years old at that time. That was the year of ourconsecration as a result of Br. Budiu’s visit in Baia-Mare. The SixDay War between the Jews and Arabs had just ended as a resultof Israel’s overwhelming victory. Br. Budiu convinced me through

Gheorghe Budiu(1905-1991)


a series of prophecies that this nation’s destiny was especiallydirected by the hand of God.

I don’t know how Br. Budiu found the Truth, but I know that he isoriginally from the Arad area, and he was a colporteur with Br.Onisim Filipoiu.

From what he told me about his life, I know that he worked asa typing clerk at the court in Bistrita, where he was eventuallyterminated because of his religious activity. They gave him twochoices: to remain in the clerk job or to remain in Christ. He chosethe second. A Jewish doctor helped him to obtain a disabilitypension and, with this small pension, he completely dedicatedhimself to writing and participating in the pilgrim work.

Br. Budiu was not a great orator, but with much tenacity andperseverance he contributed considerably in consolidating thetruth principles in the small classes and strengthening isolatedbrothers and sisters. He had a strong persuasive talent, and arational and lucid mind. He would not waste his time with futiletalk. However, he was happy, jovial, and a good singer. When hecame to visit, he would always have his bag full of typed hymnsand tidbits of truth. It is a pleasure for me to recall memories ofhim because he was for me like a spiritual mentor.

I know that he spent many days and entire nights in front of histypewriter translating literature. He contributed in translating Br.Russell’s works from French. We do not know where he obtained hisFrench Volumes, but he told me that he translated them usingdictionaries, he himself not knowing French very well. In this way hetranslated for the brethren the following Volumes: I, II, III, IV.

The brethren in Romania had in Br. Budiu the only brotherwho contributed to distributing the seed of the Truth with hispen during Communism.

Br. Budiu’s activity was extremely beneficial for the brethren.He developed next to the people working at the Society and wasaccustomed to colporteuring, printing, and distributing literature,and doing intense activity in the service of the Truth. By the Lord’sgrace, he maintained this momentum during the Communist years.He would also type at his typewriter—making five carbon copiesat once—which he would then distribute to the brethren. The fifthcopy was almost illegible, very tiring for the eyes. But the brother


Typewritten Page of Volume II.


or sister who received even that copy would feel very privileged tobe among the five. He traveled extensively and was not afraid towitness whenever he would have the privilege. All these activitieswere very risky at the time, but we do not doubt that the benefitsto the brethren—and before the Lord—were far greater than therisks involved.

Another brother who contributed to the printing of literaturewas Br. Vasile Intea. Br. Intea, always very active, is well knownin Romania even till today. Although not young anymore, Br.Intea, together with his wife, Sr. Maria, faithfully still visit thebrethren, encouraging the sick and the isolated.

During Communism, through one of his neighbors who wasa binder at the University Press on Puskin Street, Br. Inteafound a method to print religious literature. In this way he wasable to print 275 copies of Volume V (the large format), 2,500hymnbooks, 2,500 Mannas and a small number of the booklets,“What is Truth?”

Maria and Vasile Intea(b. 1935) (b. 1927)


Br. Intea also typed at his typewriter 17 copies of Volume V(small format) and 35 copies of Volume III. These books were trueheavenly gifts for the brethren.

Religion Called an “Opiate of the People”

Education of the Truth in the family—or rather its deficiencies inthis respect—explains in a way the numerical differences between theolder generation and the middle-aged generation. (See the graphicalrepresentation on the following pages.) Of course, this factor does notaccount for everything.

Under Communism, if one were part of a Protestant religiousgroup, access to higher education was more difficult—sometimeseven impossible. Therefore, some brethren did not train their childrento know the Truth in order to avoid these obstacles.

Here is an account of one sister who went to a university duringthat time:

As a student I was denounced as being a part of an illegal sect.I was called to the dean’s office. Everybody was on the alertbecause of me. I told them that I was a believer, but not part of asect. However, they continued to supervise me closely… When Iwas about to take an oral exam for the Scientific Socialism class,the teacher did not let me treat the subject on the ticket I pulledout, but rather wanted me to elaborate on Marx’s statement:“Religion is the opiate of the people.” He wasn’t satisfied by myanswer and he failed me, saying, “Go home, change your conceptionabout life and come back to take the exam.” When I went the secondtime, he failed me again. He maintained that I was a danger for thechildren, that I could corrupt them with my ideas. Only the thirdtime he agreed to give me the minimum grade. But he continued towatch me all through my university student years.

The intellectuals, such as professors in the educational system,were tracked and hunted meticulously by the Communists. They werealways being suspected of promoting ideas and concepts that wereforeign to the regime. Therefore, the universities were controlled withseverity, spies being placed at all levels.

Here is another report by one of the brethren:


There were political organizations like U.T.C. (The Union of theCommunist Youth) in which you were obligated to become a member.I refused to subscribe to these atheistic organizations. One time, thesecretary of the organization came to ask me why I didn't sign up.He started to ask me what I believed, and we talked for about anhour. I told him all I believed and why I could not sign up—becausewhat this organization promoted was against my beliefs. At theend he congratulated me for my beliefs. He asked me if I hadmicrophones hidden in the walls that could be used against himlater. I calmed him down by telling him that I certainly did not. Thiswas a happy scenario but not all ended that well. In general, thepeople were part of a Communist organization.

About Communism—or more exactly about the lives of those wholived through it—much more could be said! A fuller picture will insome measure be enhanced hopefully through the reports from thesecond part of this book.


“And ye shallknow the truth,

and the truth shallmake you free...

If the Son thereforeshall make youfree, ye shall be

free indeed.”

John 8:32, 38

New Horizons Open

Who could understand the joy of the prisoner on the day of hisliberation—or of the slave on the first day of his emancipation?

There are no adequate words to express the feelings caused bythe spectacular fall of the Communist regime in Romania and theincredible change that resulted.

Unforgettable are the emotions with which we lived through theRevolution: the flight of Ceausescu . . . the revolts of the population. . . the massacres in cities throughout the country . . . the publicconquering of television . . . the capture and execution of the dictator. . . the first free elections after 45 years of trickery . . . the opening ofthe country’s frontiers to the world. The days had blossomed into acontinuous celebration of enthusiasm and unrestrained and boundlessjoy. All hearts were revived with hope, aspirations for freedom,happiness and well-being. Big smiles showed on faces that for a longtime had known only sadness, resignation, and sighing.

In that enthusiastic atmosphere, you could easily imagine the joyof mankind coming out of the Time of Trouble—freed from the jawsof sin and death and led toward the fulfillment of the most nobleideals ever desired by man.

In Romania, the first directly televised revolution was at the top ofthe international media news for a long time. Romania, a small countrylost for so long in the Communist world, suddenly became famous,stirring up the interest and the affection of world opinion.

CHAPTER SIX

THE ACTIVITY SINCE 1990

59

60 Activity Since 1990

All these exalted feelings and expectations did not last long. Tenyears after the Revolution, Romanians were confronted with a generalstate of apathy, skepticism, a lack of contentment, and a lack oftrustfulness. Feelings prevailed that animated a population whichhad been deceived by every government that succeeded, disgustedby corruption of the political class, disappointed by the arbitrationand diplomatic games of the international organizations.

But what did this mean for the brethren?In a short time, this extraordinary news spread among us: WE ARE

NOT ALONE IN THE WORLD! Suddenly, we at once found that wehad brethren in other parts of the world: in the United States, France,Germany, Poland. Then we found out about the Moldovan brethren—which in itself was a different story—then about so many, many othercountries where we had brethren!!!

In the spring of 1990 we received the first visit of foreignbrethren. For many, this first direct contact meant almost a miracle!It was certainly a historical moment. We were visited by our brethrenfrom the West and to our great amazement and happiness we hadTHE SAME FAITH! Br. Gregory Bologa, Moldovan in origin and anative speaker of Romanian, but for many years a citizen of the U.S.,and Br. Adolphe Debski, from France, were the pioneers of this newera—the era of integration in the worldwide community of thebrethren!

Br. Adolphe Debski recounts:

For a good decade, the Romanian brethren have been present inour hearts and minds. However, it has not always been the same. Agood part of the 20th century, we had no knowledge that the brethrenwere praising God in Romania as well…

Then a day came when things changed and in the first months ofthe year 1990, we received a message from the brethren at the Dawnwho asked me if I would like to accompany Br. Gregory Bologa, whomthey were sending to Romania in answer to the request of theRomanian brethren for a visit.

Surprise! There were brethren in Romania, and they requested tobe visited. We responded affirmatively and communicated the news tothe brethren in France at a convention. Following our surprise camea strong attachment, which has not yet let us down…

Activity Since 1990 61

Br. Tompa hosted us for the first night. The second day in themorning, two sisters from Cluj brought roses for us. A sister fromUlciug (a village in the country rather far from Cluj) baked breadespecially for us and, together with her husband, brought it for us.

In the afternoon, the first meeting took place at the home of Br.Intea, in Cluj. About 100 brothers and sisters of different ages came.… Then the questions followed, emphasizing the spirit of the brethren:How many brethren were in France? How many in other countries?What are these countries? How many are currently accepting theTruth? How should we interpret this? In what phase of the harvest arewe? What lesson should we extract from the coming and the fallof Communism? What is the attitude of the different Christianconfessions toward us? Etc. …

In the history of the Romanian brethren, a page was turned toreveal another one, which they are now writing, but this time notalone, but together with the brothers and sisters God gave them, theones from other countries.

A sister from Romania declares: For me the news that there are brethren of the same faith as ours

in other countries was one of the happiest events in my life.From this opening of our door, a succession of visits followed.

And many could give a witness about the joys and the blessings thesebrethren brought to us. New horizons were opened before us throughthese visits, such as contributions of more knowledge of the Truth towhich we did not have access previously. We were encouraged tocultivate occasions for meditation—and were also enlarged in certainideas and attitudes.

Following is considered the current status of the community ofbrethren in Romania—regarding the number and the geographicaldistribution of the brethren. The structure by age and gender suggest aphenomenon that could allow us to see some tendencies and evolutionsfor the near future. Then we would bring our attention to the changesbrought about by the new political regime, the establishment of a BibleStudents Association and changes in the structure of different classesregarding their organization and functioning. The explosion of localconventions during the entire summer is in itself a separate subject. Thecomplex problem of literature will also be treated separately, as well asthe witness work that is currently taking place in Romania.


Numbers and Geographical Distribution

The number of the brethren in Romania is estimated to beapproximately 1,000. The overwhelming majority of 98% is inTransylvania, grouped around three major centers: Cluj-Napoca,Baia-Mare, and Sighetu-Marmatiei, about 50 localities in all, out ofwhich 11 are urban and the rest rural. (See the map on page 142.)

The largest classes are in Cluj, Calinesti, and Cucerdea—each withabout 80 members. Also, a high concentration of the brethren is in therural Almas Valley.

Structure by Age and Gender

A report of the distribution by age of the brethren in the countryis interesting:

Out of an estimated 950 brethren, numbers are divided as follows:83 are between 20-40 years (8.80%)167 are between 41-60 years (17.70%)693 are over 61 (73.48%)

Representing this distribution (circa 2001) graphically is striking:A phenomenon that is probably not as common in other parts of

the world is the predomination of sisters in the rural classes. Forexample, in the two large classes—Cucerdea and Calinesti—we have65 sisters and 5 brothers, and 70 sisters and 10 brothers, respectively.The picture is very much the same in other classes.


The questions arise: What is the cause of this phenomenon? Whyis this only in the villages? A possible answer would be the high levelof alcoholism among the men in rural environments. But there aremore causes that contribute toward this phenomenon.

Possible Trends for the Romanian BrethrenSome possible conclusions might be drawn from interpretation

of this data. In collaboration with other information also, somepredictions might be suggested concerning the big picture of thecommunity of brethren in the not-too-distant future.

The average life expectancy in Romania is 65 for men and 71 forwomen. Three quarters of the brethren are above 61 years of age,which means many deaths in succession, a trend we are confrontedwith already which will be increased in the coming years.

Every year new members are added to some classes, either youngones that were born and grew up in Bible Student families, or as aresult of the witness work—but in general their number is small. Inaddition, among the young people there is the emigration issue—which has multiple causes. Stopping or slowing this trend downbeyond a certain normal rate—does not seem hopeful as long as theeconomic situation remains the same.

As a result of all these factors, how will the Bible Studentscommunity in Romania look in—let us say—ten years from now?

Some predictions might be made. In ten years, considering theabove data, many of the 74% of the older brethren will finish theircourse. Then taking into account the emigration among the youngergeneration, the 9% of young people (between 20-40 years) will onlydecrease. The very young ones (18-25 years old) constitute about 4%.The middle category, the 18%, will remain somewhat stable. So, whatis left after the many subtractions of this equation? We find at least tworesults after we calculate the numbers: the massive diminution ofthe Bible Student community (either through deaths or throughemigration) and the accelerated aging of it.

Even though this is not a very cheerful picture, we think it isnot an unusual situation when we compare it to the worldwidecircumstances among the brethren—perhaps with a few exceptions.In any case, these trends must be in harmony with the generaldirection of the Harvest today—which is coming to a close.

Our times are in His hands. He knows.


Changes, changes…Several specific changes have taken place since 1990.

The AssociationIn 1990 at a meeting where brethren from the entire country

participated, the conclusion was reached that the establishment of anassociation was necessary, in a precise and limited scope, for printingliterature. So a legal administrative unit was formed, which proved itsusefulness through the years. The Association resolved the issue ofliterature among the brethren and at the same time was the instrumentused in the distribution of literature for the witness work.

The Elections of EldersA short time after the Revolution, many classes from Romania

reached the conclusion that the election of elders was necessary.In the classes where the age distribution was somewhat balanced,

a detailed study of the subject was undertaken, which was followedby elections. But certain classes where the average age was oldercould not perceive the need for these elections.

The Studies and the DiscoursesAlthough before the Revolution discourses were predominant, the

importance of Berean study was increased afterwards. But studieswere only emphasized where the brethren voted in observance of“Order and Discipline” of Volume VI.

The quality of discourses was also improved. They seemed to havemore of an ordered structure with a theme and a common thread—characteristics that previously had only happened incidentally.

The ConventionsThe freedom to meet under the new democratic regime was

exploited in full by the brethren. Every year from May to October thereare weekly or semi-monthly local conventions. Brethren in the hostlocality, whether few or many, take care of the organization andsponsorship. For example, in Nimigea (Bistrita-Nasaud) we have onlyone sister. She saves money during the year so she will not miss thechance of inviting the brethren for a convention to her house every year.Because these conventions occur in the summer and most of the time invillages, they take place in gardens or front yards, in open air. When a


summer rain happens in the Lord’s providence—conventions take on anew dimension with very creative accommodations!

The Witness WorkOrganized witness work continues to appear somewhat unclear

and not essential for most of the Romanian brethren. For this reason,systematic on-going witnessing projects have not yet been organized.

However, there are brethren who clearly understand that today isdifferent from yesterday, that now it is a very special time forspreading the Divine message. These brethren have dedicated muchof their time and talents in this direction. Due to these very fewbrethren, truths regarding the present time, Israel, the Harvest, etc.,have reached the ears of the people in the Protestant churches. Sofrom the pages of local newspapers, the Harvest Truth has gone intothe hands of thousands and thousands of people. God will surelyreward their efforts!

The LiteratureHaving a new and complete set of Studies in the Scriptures was

an unspeakable joy for the brethren.Two active centers for the printing of literature were created—

the first one in Cluj and the second one in Sighet. Because it wasnoticed that previous translations of brochures and tracts—and eventhe Volumes—were lacking in quality, brothers and sisters havededicated years of their lives to translation, printing and distributionof this literature. This enormous work would not have been possiblewithout first looking to the LORD for wisdom and strength by acompletely dedicated team of brethren.

So only the end of the century has brought the wealth of literaturewith which it started.

* * *

With more or less subjectivity, we conclude this historical narrativeand explanation of the Bible Student movement in Romania. We hopeit has met a certain scope for giving a general understanding about theway the Bible Student movement in Romania has evolved from itsdawning to the present. At the same time, this PART ONE is meant topresent the historical background for the Testimonies that follow.

Prison in Sighetu Marmatiei

“And prisons would palaces prove,If Jesus still dwelt with me there.”

Hymns of Dawn, 94

The experiences of those who suffered in prison, risking theirfreedom for the Truth and the brethren, cannot be erased from thehistory of humanity.

Their lives stand as witnesses for us who live in a new eraradically different from the previous ones. Their stories tell us howthe faith can be kept through completely unfavorable circumstances.It is for us to learn how the same faith must also be kept undercompletely favorable conditions. (Who knows if today’s experiencesare not even more difficult for faithfulness than those in earlieryears?) These witnesses also testify to us that faith is not a passivestate, but is active, all-consuming, risky—and full of strife, hardwork, sacrifice, and finally . . . victory.

Some of these brethren have finished their course, others are ontheir way.

May the Lord be their “exceeding great reward”!

PART TWO

MEMORIESOF A GENERATION

67

Elena and Iacob Filipoiu(Born 1915) (1905-1985)

A daughter of one of the brethren from the interwar periodqualifies the leaders of this generation as being: “The Best of theBest.” Onisim Filipoiu and his brother Iacob are a couple of therepresentatives of choice. Their high moral standards, sobriety, zeal,and intellectual capacity have left a deep impression on those withwhom they came in contact. So this Filipoiu family represents theinterwar generation, who were especially active in this period.

Elena Filipoiu, 92, lives in Sibiu and is still active and alert. She isthe one who provided the information about what the Filipoiu familymeant for the Truth movement in Romania. She did this with muchmodesty and meekness, stating often that what they did is not important.But what is important is the testimonies of brethren’s examples intheir faith—both in their lives and sharing of the Word. Since weneed examples, we take Apostle Paul because he was one who trulysuffered with Christ. With much difficulty, we were able to assure herthat if Paul remains a standard for our Christian life, it is not less truethat we need to know the experiences of other brethren from whomwe can receive strength and courage.

At that point, she thought and replied that it was possible that we,the younger generation, will go through more difficult experiencesbecause the hardest times are yet to come. For that reason, we assured

FIRST MEMOIR

“THE BEST OF THE BEST”THE FILIPOIU BROTHERS — RODNA VECHE

69

70 “The Best of the Best”

her that learning about their example would be an inspiration for us inthe trials that are yet ahead.

From the information collected from Sr. Elena, we put together ahistory. Let us follow the story of the Filipoiu family, which wasidentified for decades with the history of the Truth in Transylvania.

In Rodna Veche, in Bistrita-Nasaud County, the Filipoiu family,Orthodox for generations, was known as one of the more esteemedfamilies in the village. Six boys were born to them, two of whom wentto the university. One became a lawyer in Budapest, and the other anofficer in the Austro-Hungarian army.

Captain Onisim Filipoiu was highly appreciated by his superiorsdue to his ability to treat soldiers appropriately, kindly, or strictly, asthe situation required. He was nominated for promotion, but in WorldWar I, he was slightly wounded and was taken to the hospital. Therehe requested a Bible to read, and a Baptist in a neighboring roomoffered one to him. The latter took advantage of the situation to sharehis faith. Captain Filipoiu embraced it rapidly, resigned from thearmy, and returned home, to the great disappointment of his father.

Onisim’s brother from Budapest was moved by his gesture anddecided to follow him. However, back in Budapest, he was poisonedby the Hungarians in their great fury against the unification of thethree Romanian principalities—which was taking place at that time(1918)—and against the Romanian intellectual lawyer who fought infavor of it.

In his zeal for the faith, Onisim Filipoiu made 70 disciples in hisvillage, Rodna Veche. But soon, through some relatives from Bistrita,he got in touch with the Bible Student brethren and came in contactwith Br. Ciucas from Ileanda. The character and knowledge of thisbrother impressed Onisim, and in the two weeks Br. Ciucas spent athis home, he was fully established in the Truth. Onisim brought hisnewly accepted ideas to those 70 disciples, and some accepted themas the truth.

Iacob Filipoiu was the next family member who chose to live byfaith, and then, gradually, the other brothers. Iacob married Elena in1935 and, for a while, they lived in the village of Sadu in Sibiu County.

Sr. Elena had been orphaned at a young age and was raised byher sister, Elisabeta. They both embraced the Truth and a smallclass was formed in Sadu. These are the circumstances in which

“The Best of the Best” 71

Elena grew up, and she testifies that she appreciated the Truth sinceshe was 12.

It was in Elisabeta’s home that Onisim Filipoiu set up a small printshop. A false floor covered an access to the basement where theprinting press was hidden. When someone entered the house,Elisabeta would signal by knocking on the false floor so they wouldstop the press because it was primitive and noisy.

These events happened during the 1930s when the Orthodoxpriesthood was making the laws and was punishing and throwingdifferent groups of Protestants into prison, according to their pleasure.

The printing activity did not last long; however, it was sufficientfor the printing of Volume VI, previously translated by Br. Onisimfrom the German language. He also translated articles from theGerman magazine Der Herold, articles that were integrated intoVolume V, which is known among the brethren as “the big Volume V.”This was published in Arad and then in Sibiu between 1932-1936.After printing became illegal, they acquired and set up a smallclandestine printing press in Sadu.

In this period, they also printed calendars that included a shortarticle of Truth. Bros. Onisim and Iacob, accompanied by Elena,

Onisim Filipoiu(1887-1948)


traveled through villages distributing them and telling whoever waswilling to listen about the Kingdom of God. More than once they werecaptured by police, and priests who would take their calendars andmock them. However, they were not discouraged. They had otherhidden provisions of literature, which they took, and continued ontheir way.

Br. Onisim carried on his pilgrim work. Not having a family, hewas able to consecrate to the cause of Christ all the time, talents,and material goods at his disposal. He would visit the brethreneverywhere, encouraging them through the unmovable faith thatradiated from his energetic and firm personality.

After World War II, Br. Onisim moved to Turda to live with Br.Cotu. There he was arrested and sent to prison; but being sick from anearlier accident he had had, he soon died in the hospital.

Nevertheless, Br. Onisim has remained in the memory of thebrethren. Even those who did not personally know him recountwith love and respect the life of him who translated, published,and preached the Truth, endured deprivations of food and cloth-ing, and suffered persecutions, making his life an example of aliving sacrifice.

We believe in our hearts that God rewarded his efforts and thedeeds of his faith.

Later we found someone else who knew Br. Onisim well and couldcomplete this picture: Br. Iosif Ilies from Mintiu, in Bistrita-NasaudCounty. He agreed to write out his memories of Br. Filipoiu, whichwe reproduce here even at the risk of repeating some of the thingsalready mentioned.

The first time I saw him, I was 8 or 9 years old. I was at themeeting in Feldru where I went with my mom, who was a believer.

When we entered the house, Br. Filipoiu was talking. And Iremember that, even though I was a child, I was not bored, and Ididn’t fall asleep because the way he presented the Truth was sobeautiful and lively; this is because Br. Onisim had a gift from Godfor preaching.

Truly, he knew how to combine words, speaking with so muchpassion and zeal that I thought I was seeing an angel of God. Dearsister, I am now over 70 years old, about the same age as your


grandfather, but I cannot forget those moments which were engravedin my memory concerning Br. Onisim.

He came from a family from Rodna Veche, and they were sixbrothers. It was a wealthy family, their father being the mayorof the village his entire life. Br. Onisim and another brother ofhis went on to receive higher education and became educatedintellectual people. Br. Onisim was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army, and his brother became the prefect of the Solnoccity in Hungary. He was then assassinated by his enemies out ofjealousy that a Romanian from Transylvania had become theprefect of a Hungarian city.

Then Br. Onisim took off his military coat because he receivedthe faith from the Hungarian and Romanian brethren who camefrom America. He went to his father’s house, who proposed to himto take over the entire administration of his household. Onisimanswered that he could not do that because he had a moreimportant work to do. But because his father kept insisting, hesaid: “Father, don’t be upset with me! I agree to do your will forone year.”

So, he became the administrator of the household for a year.Ion Filipoiu, one of his brothers, recounts how, one day, Onisimgathered everybody together and made a work plan by days,weeks, and months, for a year. “We had never seen anything likethat before,” Br. Ion said. Then Onisim said, “Don’t think that youwill play truant, skip work, and waste time. The load is small andcan be easily accomplished.” When we started the work, every oneof us was thinking how to finish faster, because we didn’t want togo through the shame of having him rebuke us.

So it is that before the year was over we finished all the workthat was planned. The father said then, “I was the administrator ofthis household my entire life, but I have never been as successfulas Onisim.”

When that year came to an end, Br. Onisim asked his fatherfor his part of the inheritance. He sold everything and with themoney he obtained, he went to the Society in Cluj and depositedall the money to be used in the cause of the Truth. He stayedthere till the end of the Society, but I don’t know what kind of


work he performed—probably not a minor one, because he knewGerman and Hungarian and had a great talent for writing.

After the Society fell apart, he continued to write and printVolume V, calendars in the form of a book, with various kinds ofadvertising and ideas for natural medicine—very useful knowledgeeven for the world.

I know that for awhile he worked clandestinely in Sibiu in animprovised basement. He translated and printed there, having forfood only cornmeal and water. But he was happy that he could dosomething for the use of the brethren and did not complain; his facealways radiated a joyful light.

He never married, like the Apostle Paul, being engaged to theLord unto his death. He spent all his wealth in the service of theTruth, as Br. Russell. I remember that he had an interest in the poorbrethren who had children and difficulties and gave them usefuladvice. He would urge brethren who were well off to be generous.He would visit the brethren to see how they lived, what problemsthey had, and gave them appropriate spiritual encouragement.

He also worked in Turda, where he had a printing press atBr. Iacob Domide’s. Some of his sisters were colporteurs, one inRodna and two in Nasaud. These I knew, but there were othersas well.

Anyway, Br. Onisim was consumed in his work. He had abright mind. When he traveled, he would take a brother with himand would start asking him questions, as they had agreed aheadof time. The people around them could thus hear about God andHis plan. Br. Onisim always answered with Scripture texts.

When he would visit the classes and notice problems, hewould talk to the elders and with the entire class. For example,he would tell the brethren that when they go to meetings theyshould wear clean clothes; at that time, they were wearinglinen shirts. They had to be clean and, if torn, nicely patched.The brethren had to be washed, shaved, and have the hairbrushed, because Br. Onisim would say that the meeting relatesto the Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit, which is present.For that reason it was appropriate that cleanliness reign on allpoints. Thus, whoever would come from outside would be able tosee that the spirit of a sound mind reigns there.


He was hunted by the priesthood. I remember that one time, inthe Almas Valley, he was taken from the meeting, together withBr. Bote and other brothers and sisters. They were taken by thegendarmes from police station to police station, beaten and madeto walk on foot.

After the Communists came, he was constantly under closesurveillance. Though he worked very secretly, he was caught andarrested. He was already sick. They took him to the hospital, butit did not take long until he passed away. This was Br. Onisim, asI knew him.

“But he was happythat he could do

something for theuse of the brethren

and did notcomplain; his facealways radiated a joyful light.”(Quoted from Page 74)

Petru Bote(1903-1975)

Br. Bote is in that category of people who leave an unforgettable,deep impression—“angel like” according to those who met him.

Together with his wife, Maria, he worked at the “Viata” Society asa colporteur. He worked closely with Bros. Sima, Filipoiu, Ciucas,and others. Though he did not travel as much as these, he was veryhospitable. His house was always full of guests, and as the host, hewould offer them excellent spiritual fellowship, as many of thebrethren in their home have testified.

Br. Bote was an intelligent person with the ability to teach withsubtle humor and irony. He was a mentor for the young people, andthey testify about the zeal, courage, and uplift received while talkingto him. He and his wife, Maria, a person of great poise—meek butalso courageous—were front-line warriors in the vast field of thegood fight of faith.

Br. Iosif Ilies from Mintiu writes about Br. Bote:

Br. Petru Bote was born in the village of Feldru, in the SomesValley. He came from a reputable family of peasants, which had threeboys and three girls.

Petru and Mihai Bote found the Truth while still young, andconsecrated. At that time, there were no other Protestants inFeldru, and at their baptism, the entire village gathered as if for a

SECOND MEMOIR

“THE OLD BROOD HEN”

PETRU BOTE — CLUJ NAPOCA

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78 “The Old Brood Hen”

miracle, because no one had seen such a thing before. At that time,only the priests would baptize babies, and that was all. Therefore,the people from the youngest to the oldest came and said, “Two ofBote’s sons have lost their minds! They are now being baptized inSomes. Let’s go see!”

But later the villagers saw that the two youngsters were not crazy.In fact, by their faith, zeal, and talent of presenting the Truth, theygave such a good witness for the villagers, that 40 of the most notablepeople in the village came to accept the Truth.

Then Br. Petru went to Cluj to the Society, where he worked as acolporteur. There he met Sr. Maria, whom he married. [After theywere married, however, Br. Bote went to prison for the Truth.]

I don’t have much information about the prison period. I found outthat there were 40 prisoners in a cell, among whom were priests, evenEpiscopals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Adventists, etc. In the evenings afterreturning from work, they organized a program where, by takingturns, everybody would present their faith.

When Br. Bote’s turn came, all could see it was something special.Therefore, they allowed him multiple evenings. Br. Petru proved withthe Bible the entire Plan of God, from the Fall to the Restoration,especially showing how the Abrahamic promise would bless twofamilies—one spiritual and one earthly.

All were amazed at his words. The one who led the program,seeing that all the arguments Br. Bote used were Biblical, decidedto start from the beginning with everybody else so that all wouldhave a chance to prove their beliefs with the Scriptures. But theyfailed the test, so that from then on when questions came up, theywould say, “Mr. Bote is asked to answer this question!”, and allwould listen attentively.

Br. Bote was an example for me, and I believe not only for me, butfor all those who are faithful and have a pure heart. He proved hisfaithfulness to the end, with enthusiasm and zeal.

Here is the testimony of Br. Dionisie Moraru about the years spentwith Br. Bote in prison.

For 15 years I had been a Jehovah’s Witness. Being a pioneer inthis group, on May 10, 1957, I was captured and condemned to 25years in prison.

“The Old Brood Hen” 79

First I was in prison at Jilava, a place full of bed bugs. When youwould lie in bed you had the impression that you were floating, as somany bugs were moving underneath us.

I was then moved to Gherla. Here I met Br. Bote. But while there,I did not want to listen to him. This was because I started to see—from his discussions with the Witnesses, from his attitude (which Idid not cease to secretly observe), from the way he presented theTruth—what a great difference there was between him and theWitnesses, and how they had departed from Br. Russell’s teachings,which I knew.

I became troubled—there was a war inside me. I told him then,“Do not speak to me yet, because I am wounded.”

Br. Bote was called by the cellmates, “the old brood hen.” Do youknow how an old brood hen is? It knows better than anybody else howto gather the chicks around her. So would Br. Bote gather the inmatesaround him. That was because he would speak beautifully, and allwould gather to listen.

After a while we were moved to the Danube Delta. Here I beganto listen to him. Every day they would take us to harvest the corn orto do other different agricultural activities. We would go to aboutthe middle of the cornfield so the guards could not hear us from theedge, and Br. Bote would talk to me. Most of the subjects were fromVolumes V and VI, about THE ATONEMENT BETWEEN MAN AND GODand about THE NEW CREATION. Br. Bote had a very good memory. Atthat time he was about 58-59 years old, and I was 33-34. We livedlike a father with his son for three and a half years, after which wewere separated.

In the Delta, summer and winter, we lived in some huts made outof reeds and earth. At lunch we received a watery soup and potatoesor rice with horsemeat. This was not enough, but we would also eatthe roots of different plants.

I remember how, on a hot summer day, the major-sergeant had togo to a meeting and left us under the supervision of some civilianarmy soldiers, young people who were fulfilling their army term.Then one of the prisoners asked permission to take a bath in theDelta. We were all permitted to do that, and that gave me a goodopportunity to be baptized. Br. Bote had the baptismal service. Thatwas a beautiful day.

80 “The Old Brood Hen”

A short time after that, Br. Bote had a stroke and became paralyzedon the right side. He was sent to the hospital. He was freed in 1964.Being left alone, I began to speak the Truth to those willing to listen.During the years spent with Br. Bote I learned much from him and Ireceived great encouragement seeing his way of life.

Later, I met other brothers there in the Danube Delta: Br. SanduMogojan, Br. Danila, and Br. Cabau from Bihor.

After seven and a half years, I was freed, but two more yearspassed before I was able to sleep at night without having nightmaresabout the prison experiences.

The following testimony of Sr. Margareta Moraru is about Br.Bote’s personality, way of life and strong faith:

I knew him since I was a child. He owned a newspaper stand in thetrain station in Cluj. The news delivery was an activity that offeredmany opportunities for spreading the Truth. As I knew him, he wasgood, generous, calm, and jovial. He liked to read—not to speakextemporaneously—and then he would explain beautifully what heread. He accumulated much knowledge, and he had an unusual giftfor passing it on.

Br. Bote’s wife, Maria, was faithful, meek, and always ready tohelp others. While the brother was in prison, Sr. Maria took his placeat the train station in Cluj, working and witnessing until she retired.

They had a great trial when their son of 18 years old died afterreceiving a shot of the wrong medicine, but they endured even thistrial in a very Christian way.

Sr. Viorica Rosca testifies about Br. Bote, as one of her muchadmired brothers:

Br. Petru would look at you always with a smile, and I’ve neverseen him with a gloomy or sad countenance. Through the solemnitywith which he would present the Truth, he generated great respect forGod, for the Lord Jesus, and for the brethren.

In the meetings, he usually would have a study. In the beginning,he used to tell us to unplug our “plugs” that would connect us tothe [distracting] things we left at home. He would keep a livelyatmosphere, provoking every brother and sister to participate in the

“The Old Brood Hen” 81

study. At the end, he would recount what were the lessons for thatday, and he would urge the brethren to tell what they remembered.If somebody didn’t remember anything, Br. Petru would use a joke tosuggest that you could waste your time even in the meeting.

He liked to help the brethren, to get involved in their hardships, togive them advice. He was very hospitable and, even though he hadvery educated people in his house and family, he wasn’t ashamed toreceive his simple and uneducated brethren.

After he came back from prison, even though he was hemiplegic(paralyzed on the right side), he continued to serve the brethren. Hewould even walk three kilometers (2 miles) to the place where themeeting was. Even though he would walk with difficulty, he never saidhe was tired. Moreover, he didn’t even talk about the difficulty of histime in detention.

I was by him when he closed his eyes to pass beyond the Veil. I’mglad that I had this honor.

His wife, Maria, was a sister serious in words and deeds. She likedto tell about how she got the Truth, the years spent at the Society, andabout her desire to serve the Lord and His cause as much as possible.She was a very courageous woman. When her son died, she told methat she received the news, “Your son is severely ill,” to which sherequested that the Truth be told to her, even if Emanuel was dead.Finding out that it was so, she answered, “I have nothing left but thehope of the resurrection of the dead.”

Sandu Mogojan(1920-2006)

THIRD MEMOIR

“BECAUSE I WHISTLEDIN THE CHURCH”

SANDU MOGOJAN — MANASTIRENI

Br. Sandu from Manastireni was an old defender of the Truth.A jovial figure, agile and full of life, with a rich linguistic style,intelligent and spiritual, and with a good sense of humor, Br. Sanduwon the approval of all those with whom he came in contact. His vastknowledge, combined with a rich life experience, kept the attention ofhis listeners alive. He could talk about almost any subject—but hepreferred to talk about the Truth.

In order to understand the quick and bold temperament of Br.Sandu—which made him a perpetual defender of the principles ofrighteousness and honesty—we will relate a story he told.

It was during World War II when Br. Sandu’s house was invadedby German officers. One of them got up on the bed with his muddyarmy boots and started to step on the pillows. (The village custom isto lay pillows with beautiful handiwork on the bed.) This was an extrawickedness on the side of the German officer, which Br. Sandu couldnot endure. Turning his cheek in a sign of impudence, he said, “NichtKultur!” For this he could have paid with his life, if the German armyhad not been in such a hurry to leave.

The interview that follows was taken in the summer of 2000 inCluj when Br. Sandu was 80 years old. (We tried to maintain hissavory style as much as possible.)

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84 “Because I Whistled in the Church!”

— Br. Sandu, tell us something about your family!— My father was Reformed and my mother was Orthodox. I

used to go to the Reformed Church when I was little. But at school,where the Reformed priest would come to teach the religion class, Inoticed that he would favor the kids from wealthy families. Then Iwent to my dad and told him, “A God that favors only the rich kids,I do not want!” That’s when I stopped going to the ReformedChurch. So I decided to go to the Orthodox Church with Mom. Itwas before Easter, and I was about 17 years old. The people used togo to confession then, so I went also. The questions the priest askedme there were so impudent that it made me become disgusted withthe Orthodox system as well. I have never stepped in an OrthodoxChurch since then.

— How did you come to know the Truth after these experienceswith the Reformed and Orthodox Churches?

— I liked a girl, Maria, whom I also married. Her father wasthe elder of the Bible Student class in that village. In the beginning,I wasn't interested, until one day when I decided to go to see howthings were there. And as I stepped into the meeting place, I wasimpressed with everything I saw. The brothers would decide amongthem who would speak when, then they would read out of Volumes,they gave explanations and asked questions. I liked the fact thatpeople were able to ask what they did not understand—unlike in thechurches. To me, the brethren looked like angels. I have never leftthe meetings since then.

— What were the circumstances of your arrest?— I was coming home from work one day, and when I got off the

train, Captain Isaac of the Security [see p. 87] met me and said, “Areyou the son of Alexandru and Ileana?” “I am,” I told them. “Comewith us then!” They took me to their car where two other Securitypeople were waiting. Then I told them, “First take me home, becauseI received my paycheck, and I need to give it to my wife!” They tookme home, but they also searched the house. They gathered a sack ofbooks. The Captain asked me, “What are you? A Priest? Why do youhave so many books?” “No, I’m a painter. But from these books welearn the laws of God.”

“Because I Whistled in the Church!” 85

— Who else was arrested at the same time?— Br. Gheorghe Colosvari, Br. Bote, Br. Danila, Br. Pop from

Starci. At the investigation they told me, “We didn’t find anythingbad against you!” “What could you find, when I was the presidentof the trade-union, and I taught the people to be honest andrighteous?” “Anyway, because you are part of an organization thatis not recognized by our law, you get five years!” “May you live!” Itold them. At the end of the inquiry, they asked me if I would continueto speak the Truth if they would let me free. “Yes! I can’t be anyother way.”

— Where were you in prison?— I was six months in Gherla and three years in Periprava.

When they took us to the cell, it was a Sunday morning. I told thesenior-lieutenant, “Mister Lieutenant, don’t keep me in the cell,because I’m a handyman, and I can do services for you.” I was inGherla at that time. Three weeks they kept me there. There werepriests and people of other faiths, and we spoke from the Word. Thenthey took me out, and I worked in painting. I worked well, with all myheart, and on this basis, I received a letter of recommendation when Iwas freed from prison, “Reckoned rehabilitated and having a correctbehavior.” While still there they took me to work in construction,where I was unsupervised most of the time. The wife of the SecurityOfficer [see p. 87] saw that I was honest and talked differently thanothers did. She asked me, “Mr. Sandu, what did you do to get here?”“What did I do?” I told her, “I whistled in the church!” She and herneighbors laughed at this. But from then on, I had the occasion tospeak about the Truth to her and her neighboring ladies for hours ata time.

— Didn’t you have negative thoughts while in prison? Didn’tyou get discouraged?

— No! I was open for any danger—even to be silenced—becauseI was convinced of what I believed. And now I am even ten times moreconvinced!

— How was the food?— In Gherla the food was pretty good, but one time I broke my

tooth in it because they had put little stones in the bean dish.

86 “Because I Whistled in the Church!”

— How did you find your wife, Maria, when you returned?— She got diabetes while I was gone, and this sickness makes

you oscillate between two extremes, either very joyous, or like a stone.When I got home and she saw me, she seemed to turn into a piece ofwood. She didn’t expect me! The Security Officer who took me homestarted to warn her and her father not to let me go to the same placewhere I was when they took me to prison.

— Did you have other problems with the Security after that?— Soon after that one of our brothers, who was the father-in-

law of the Security Chief, died. I asked Br. Ciucas: “Would you liketo come to help us bury the Security Chief’s father-in-law?” And heanswered, “Even with the risk of being put in jail, I will come.” Sowe buried him together with Br. Ciucas. Soon after that, they foundout we had a meeting and came there. They took me and told me,“Tell your wife to prepare the meal because you'll be back in anhour!” “Let not that hour be another four years!” I answered them.When they took me they left me outside for awhile, which I spentpraying. Then they took me in. I began to tell them the plan of Godfrom the Creation to the Restoration. They were listening so atten-tively that the clerk who was supposed to take the report forgot totake notes. At the end they told me to come back on Monday to paya fine of 8,000 lei, [money] from the brethren. This was a lot, andthey asked me at the bank, “But what did you do?” And again I toldher, “I whistled in the Church!” (At that time, with the 8,000 lei youcould buy 12 cows.)

The Security Officers asked me to be their spy. But I told them, “Iwould rather have you raise a gibbet right here and hang me by mytongue than do with my tongue what you are asking me.” After thatthey left us alone.

— What is your message for the younger generation?— After I found the Truth, I never doubted it again. I never

asked myself, “I wonder if this is really the Truth?” You, too,should try to convince yourself of the Truth in your heart.Prepare yourself for the Day of Jehovah’s vengeance, becausethrough it is the entrance into the beautiful Kingdom we are allwaiting for!

“Because I Whistled in the Church!” 87

Definitions

Security: Secret Police Force of Romania—officially founded,under close guidance from Soviet KGB officers, on August 30,1948. However, it had effectively existed since 1944, whenCommunists began to infiltrate the Ministry of Internal Affairs ona large scale. By 1951, the Securitate, at the instigation of the Party,began to systematically exterminate opponents of the regime.Special prisons were established for “class enemies” to be sent to,usually without warrant, trial or inquiry. In these camps, prisonerswere either worked to death or simply shot.

Security Officer: A paid officer of the Securitate.

“Prepare yourselffor the Day of

Jehovah’s vengeance,because throughit is the entranceinto the beautifulKingdom we areall waiting for!”

(Quoted from Page 86)

Iancu Petrita(1927-2000)

FOURTH MEMOIR

“HE WAS DEFENDING WITHPOWER OUR BEAUTIFUL

TEACHINGS”IANCU PETRITA — BIHOR

Srs. Veta Balanean and Marioara Cimpian from Zalau will tell usabout Br. Iancu from Bihor. He lived the last years of his life in Zalauand died suddenly in the spring of 2000. These sisters knew him well,and they agreed to write briefly the experiences of Br. Iancu.

What we remember about Br. Iancu is that he was of mediumheight and plump. He was a strong character, able to speak the Truthfor hours. Here is the report we received:

On December 13, 1958, in the morning at about 5 - 6 o’clock, Br.Iancu was taken from home, being given permission to take some foodand warm clothes with him. From the moment the Security Officerscame in the house, he was not allowed out of their sight.

He was taken by van to the Security in Oradea. There, he was keptin a cell for four months, with poor food, and was not allowed to sitdown or to lean against anything until 10 p.m. Every day he wasinterrogated and asked where the meetings were taking place. Theyalso asked him regarding the “present evil” day from the FirstVolume, in the hope that he would say that Communism was bad. Buthe would explain beautifully that this was referring to all the evil inthe world: sickness, sorrow, and death. He would tell them about theKingdom, the blessings it will bring, and about the way the order of

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90 “Defending Our Beautiful Teachings”

things on the earth will change. Then they would ask him, “What willhappen to us?” “You, also, will need to submit to the new order in theKingdom,” he would reply.

His case was closed, and he was declared opposed to the socialorder of the time. After four months of imprisonment and manyinvestigations, he received the sentence: 15 years in prison, withoutany right to parcels or letters, and all his goods were confiscated. (Hisfamily had to pay rent in their own home).

From here, he was taken to Balta Braila. On the way there, theychained his feet so that he could not walk, but only jump. Br. Mitreafrom Cabesti would help him when passing over the railroad tracksto get to their train wagon. Those who watched over him, mockedhim saying, “Did you have horses at home?” “I did.” “You shouldjump then like your horses.” They got there at night and had to crossa bridge over a river. There they cut off his chains and threw themin the water.

He worked there, building the dam for the Danube River. When hecame back from work, he was wet and had to wait that way for the rollcall of 500 people. They would sleep in a shed with only a roof, andthe “walls” were made out of guards that watched them. These guardswould tell them that they were brought there for extermination. Hewas in Balta Braila for about three years.

After two and a half years he got sick with typhoid fever and washospitalized for a long time. There were many sick inmates, and theyhad jailors watching over them. After he slightly recovered, althoughstill unable to work, he was sent to Gherla.

The conditions in Gherla were better. There were many in oneroom: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals, Baptists, lawyers, priests,and others. But not many were there for their faith.

However, he had many discussions with the Witnesses, and hedefended with power our beautiful teachings. Every day they had aprogram that every one taking turns would say what he wanted to say.When it came Br. Iancu’s turn, his inmates would say, “Today Mr.Petrita will speak to us!” Br. Iancu would speak to them grandly andmarvelously about the Plan of God from creation to restoration.People who had a high standing in the world would come and listento him and tell him, “You shouldn't be here!” and they would tell himthat they wished they had been imprisoned for the same reason!

“Defending Our Beautiful Teachings” 91

One day he was called to the office, and they asked him, “Howmany years were you condemned for and how many years have youfulfilled?” He told them that he was condemned for fifteen years andthat he had more than three years fulfilled. They told him that tenyears were pardoned and he only had five to fulfill.

So after a year and a month, he was freed. He was released inOradea where he had been taken from, and there they asked him,“Do you still believe in this sect?” He answered, “I never believedin a sect, but in the resurrection of the dead!” Then they said,“Look at him! He is still not re-educated!” They asked him thenfor a service, which was to report to them about everything takingplace in the village, who does what and who goes where. But herefused to do this service. However, for one year he had to reportto them every month.

Reflecting on these experiences, Br. Iancu spoke with pleasure andnot with bitterness. For the rest of his life, as much as we know, hemaintained a great desire to tell the Truth, and he never got tired ofvisiting the brethren.

Lazar and Anuta Fodor(1920-2003) - (Born 1923)

FIFTH MEMOIR

“THE PRESENT SUFFERINGSARE NOT FOREVER”

LAZAR FODOR — SURDUC

For many years Br. Lazar had the reputation of being one of thebest orators. Truly, he had an exceptional memory, distinguishedvocabulary, sharp intelligence, solid knowledge of the Bible and theVolumes, and the courage to stand the tests. All these qualities—andmore—make him a very special character who won the love of thebrethren and the admiration of the people.

Answering one of our letters, Br. Lazar sent us the followinginformation and history, which we structured into sections to make iteasier to follow.

Dear brethren and sisters in the Lord,I, the writer of this letter, am called Lazar Fodor, born in 1920,

February 29, in the village of Surduc, county of Bihor, Romania.

The School Years

My father, even though a wealthy man, favored the Protestants,though at that time, the only Protestants in my village were thePentecostals. This was before the Communist regime.

I had a grandmother who could not read. She loved me very much,and she would ask me to read to her from the Bible. I listened to whatI was reading to her. On the one hand, it made me realize that I had

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94 “The Present Sufferings Are Not Forever”

many things to correct in my behavior. On the other hand, I liked itand it made me happy. I was still a child in school, but I became thedefender of the child Jesus and the opposer of those who werepersecuting him.

My parents wanted to send me to higher education. My fatherwanted to make me a priest; my mother wanted me to be an armyofficer. But I kept quiet and said in my heart, “Neither one, northe other.”

I went to secondary school in Oradea. I was there for two years,and I was one of the top students. In the third year, I went to theEmanoil Gojdu High School. In the fourth year, I told my parents thatI was not going back to school. They gave me a good spanking andtook me there. But I pretended that I was sick, very sick. They took meto a doctor, and he asked them, “How many children do you have?”“Only this one,” said my father. Then the doctor began to convincethem to take me home because a friend of his, who also had only oneson, sent him to schools until it destroyed him. This convinced myfather to take me home.

Being the only child and not having other siblings to playwith, I started reading all kinds of books, among which weresome biblical ones.

My parents, in their own way, were people with expectations—especially towards me, even though I gave up the schooling theywished for me to have. One time my father told me with grief, “Imeant to send you to schools in France, at Paris, for a highereducation, but you opposed even the schools in this country.” “Thankyou very much, Father, because you had a good goal, in your ownway. But from the books I have read so far, I found that no other bookhas a content as rich in divine teachings regarding the past, presentand future as the books of the Bible Students. For this reason, Ihave chosen not to go to France.”

It is true, though, that from the age of 15 up to 20, I was a “partyboy,” a young man of earthly amusements. The full impact of theTruth was hidden from me until 1940.

In 1940 I had a painful experience regarding my grandmother,with whom I had shared my secrets since I was a small child. She felldown and died suddenly. Because my father was very wealthy and Iwas the only child, my relatives desired my death so that they could

“The Present Sufferings Are Not Forever” 95

inherit the wealth. My grandmother had protected me from all theserivalries—one more reason to grieve for her.

Contact with the Truth

My first contact with the Bible Students was in that same year,1940. The first book I put my hands on was THE HARP. After I read it,I went to the Pentecostal meeting and asked one of the preachers if hehad ever heard of Protestants who do not believe in hell. He said,“There is one right here, in Dragesti. He is a learned man, with muchknowledge, but he doesn’t even believe in the Trinity!”

Then I went and looked for him and his house. That was in1941. The brother was Br. Gheorghe Ambru, and he told me thatwe had brethren in the area around Beius: in Cabesti, Meziead,and Josani. I told him about my grandfather’s sister, the motherof Sr. Irina from Astileu, who had the Truth since World War I.I asked him if he had books. He told me that he did, but theywere hidden because the meetings were prohibited and the houseswere being searched for books.

And suddenly, as if it fell from heaven, in front of me I spotted achest in the room. Inside it were Volumes I, V, VI, VII. He lent themto me.

So I made a schedule to read five pages daily from the Bible andten from the Volumes.

The Persecutions Begin

In 1940-1941 about ten brethren came out of the Pentecostalmovement, and we started having meetings and visiting other classes.For example, to get to the meetings in Cabesti, we would go 15 km (10miles) by foot through forests and ravines to take the train fromDragesti to Beius about 40 km (25 miles), and from Beius to Cabesti,we would walk another 13 km (8 miles).

But the governments were constantly against us. Even duringAntonescu’s dictatorship, the village priest showed up at our meeting.He made a report and said that he would give it to the gendarmes andthey would send us to the Martial Court in Timisoara. But at that timewe were only fined.


In 1942 we had a son whom we did not baptize because I knew thatthe decision to be baptized was for mature people who understoodwhat they are doing. Because of that decision, once again the priestgave us into the hand of the gendarmes to open a case against me.

One evening, in 1948, I saw a man coming into my house. He said,“The Peace of the Lord to you!” I answered, “The Peace of the Lordto you!” It just happened that I had a Volume in my hand. I laid it onthe bed and put my hat on top of it. Then he asked me what books Ihad, and he saw the Manna and the Bible. He said, “I am empoweredto deal with cults. Therefore, you will come with me to the People’sCouncil.” There the Council asked me:

— Are there Bible meetings in your house?— Whoever comes, I tell them what I believe about God.

— What sect are you part of?— None, I am a free thinker.

He then made a report and informed me that I was forbidden tohave meetings of a biblical nature without authorization.

Now I want to talk a little bit about my family situation.

It was in 1941 and World War II had already started. I had toenroll in the army. My parents did not want to be left alone andthought of marrying me to the daughter of some distant relatives,who were also believers. All this was done quietly, so I wouldescape the army.

I decided to separate my household from my father’s, in orderto avoid some obstacles in my consecration vow to the service ofthe Lord. My father opposed this decision. I was always thinking:“Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall begiven unto you.” So I placed marriage in second place, andwealth in third.

Together with my wife, I built our entire house—with the Lord’shelp and with our hands—and our son was left with my parents.

Starting in 1945, after the end of the War, I made contacts with thebrethren all over the country (because before that I didn’t know if


there were brethren in other areas). I asked myself: Is it possible thereare no brethren in other areas? I wondered because I had completejoy when I read THE STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, and I understood theransom price for all mankind and the restoration of all things. All thisunderstanding was clear and precious to me. I understood that theVolumes together with the Bible are the greatest riches.

The Arrest

The date of my arrest was December 13, 1958.During the night I heard a noise in the courtyard. Somebody

shouted loudly, “Open the door!” I saw that there were more people.They asked me if there were strangers in the house and if I was armed,and then they asked me about books. I told them that I had books of abiblical character. Then they said, “You are arrested! Turn your faceto the wall and put your hands behind you!”

Then they started the search; they turned everything in thehouse upside down. I had a notebook which I had used to take notesfrom all I had read during the last eighteen years, from 1940 to1958: the Bible, THE STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES, THE PHOTODRAMAOF CREATION and the TABERNACLE SHADOWS—a total of 95,000pages. I was reading fifteen pages a day: five from the Bible and tenfrom the Volumes.

When I saw the notebook in their hands, I trembled realizing thatnow they could find out everything about me. But, slowly I regainedmy calm.

During this time, other Security Officers went to my father’s houseand to my neighbor, Br. Vese, and to Br. Iancu Petrita.

I heard the dogs barking through the night, giving the warning thatthe wolves had burst into the sheepfold of the Good Shepherd.

About 8-9 o’clock, they took us with our hands behind our backs,under escort, to the front of the House of Culture of the village andthere was a van—like a whale—waiting for us.

The prisoners were four, and the Security Officers were abouttwenty, all armed. They put us in the van, and we left Surduc to go tothe building of the Security in Oradea. When we got to a forest, theyasked us to sing a hymn, and we sang “Praise the Lord” (Hymn 55)and “Great Art Thou, Lord, Great is Thy Power.”


On the way to Oradea I was thinking of my sick wife and my fourchildren left at home. I didn’t know when I would see them again.

When we arrived, they asked us to get out of the car, eventhough we were blindfolded. As soon as I stepped into the air, fourguards grabbed me and took me into the waiting room and threwme down headlong.

The officer on duty told me to take my clothes off quickly. Andbecause I couldn’t do it fast, he hit me with a rubber object on my leftside, face, neck, and eyes, so I couldn’t see anything and one of myteeth broke. I fell down, and he wanted to step on me, but the SecurityOfficer who was at my home intervened. He asked me to sign adeclaration even though I couldn’t see anything. He took my hand andsigned it. They gave me striped clothes to put on and took me to a cellwith two concrete beds.

Here, I had to respect the cell program, which was as follows:from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. I was allowed to sit down but I was not allowedto lean against any thing, nor on my elbows, and from 10 p.m. to5 a.m. I was allowed to lie down.

The food was as follows: 100 g [3.5 oz.] of bread and a piece ofcornmeal, which I would eat all at once. During the day they gave usa cup of coffee (which never tasted sweet). At lunch and in the eveningthey would give us a kettle of bean or potato soup.

When you heard the key at the door, you had to go to the end of thecell with your face to the wall and your hands behind you. The guardcame in and said, “Pssst!” Then you had to turn your head, he wouldput tin glasses (opaque) on your eyes and this way they took us to thebathroom or to interrogations.

The Interrogations

The interrogations took place at night. All the Security Officerswere dressed with army clothes during the inquiries.

One time I came in front of the senior-lieutenant, who asked me togive him a declaration. He told me, “You should know that God hasabandoned you!” I looked at him in amazement. He continued, “Hegave you into the hands of the Devil. I am the Devil.” I thought thenin my heart, but I didn’t say it, “You are not the Devil, but one of hisservants you certainly are.” But my face was not sad, but calm. Then


he told me, “If you would only have the same face when you get outof here…! That is…if you ever get out…”

This was the way the interrogations started in my case, and theylasted for almost a year until I left the Oradea Penitentiary.

The senior-lieutenant who was questioning me asked me how Iarrived at these beliefs. I told him how at the age of 20 I had anaccident and my nervous system was left shaken, and I couldn’t calmit any other way than by reading the Bible and the Volumes.

He told me that when they searched the house they found the Bible,the STUDIES and a notebook. “You wrote here that you read theSTUDIES every year. You have three hours tonight to tell me about whatyou read during your eighteen years of studies.”

I started to talk about all that God had planned to accomplish forthe welfare of mankind, beginning with creation, the fall, thepromises, fleshly Israel, the shadows and types, the ransom price,the calling and choosing of a “little flock” to the second presence ofour Lord, the restoration of Israel, and the restoration of allmankind during the Millennium—which had already started!

At the end I asked him what was evil in what I said. And heanswered, “If all these things will come to fulfillment, I give mysolemn word (and he put his hand on his heart) that I will be among thefirst to subordinate during those glorious times you talked about.”

I asked him if I would be condemned. He told me that I would be,because we were not authorized by the Communist Party. Then Iasked him if he personally would add to my difficulties, and he saidno, he was only doing his duty.

The chief of the investigations came in at that time and asked him,“So, how is it with Lazar?” “He convinced me of everything; all Ineed now is the baptism!” the lieutenant answered.

The chief, finding out that I had a headache, came to me andhitting me slightly over the head with my notebook said, “I’msurprised your head didn’t break from the 95,000 pages you haveread. None of my teachers has read that much.”

The Process

Finally, after four months of bitter treatment, cold, fatigue, andhunger, we were taken to the Oradea Courthouse to be judged by the


Military Tribunal from Timisoara, which came to Oradea especiallyfor this occasion.

The twelve brothers and one sister (because at the same timethey arrested us in Surduc, they had also arrested other brethrenfrom the county of Bihor) were taken to the middle of the assembly,where the President of the Court and the Prosecutor who wasaccusing the brethren were. The families of all the brethren werepresent there also.

The Prosecutor asked me the question, “What do you understandthrough the ‘Present Evil World’ and ‘The Golden Age’?” Ianswered, “Mister President and most honored dignitaries, becauseI am being questioned today regarding my faith, I want to answerwhat I understand about the ‘Present Evil World’ and the ‘GoldenAge’ that will follow. This expression was written in the Bible 2,000years ago, and, thus, was in no way referring to the PopularRepublic of Romania, but it is about man’s fall into sin and deathand how these traversed on all people because they all sinned. Butthis ‘Evil World’ from Galatians 1:4, based on selfishness andunrighteousness, will be eliminated because of the ransom. Then theearth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord and all the corruptearthly systems will be removed. This will be the true ‘Golden Age’that will be for all the people that ever lived.”

All the brethren were questioned at their turn, and the sentence fol-lowed. I received twenty years of hard labor or ten years of hardimprisonment. The others received between ten and sixteen years ofhard labor, plus the confiscation of their possessions.

Upon each of us hearing our sentence, we were firstshocked, because we did not expect such a hard sentence, butthen we felt encouraged.

Two of these brothers died in the Gherla Prison: Teodor Lazarfrom Rosia and Stefan Listes from Oradea.

The Gherla Prison

One night, at the beginning of December 1959 (after almost a yearof imprisonment), the transfer was made from the Oradea Prison tothe one in Gherla. A great number of prisoners were transferred atthat time, and those of us who were sentenced to many years had


chains on our feet. Everything took place very strictly and thesmallest mistake could cost you your life.

Those with a sentence of 15 years and up were considered fierceenemies of the Regime and received very harsh treatment. This wasbecause a revolt took place in the prison in Gherla just before ourarrival, and they had to place the entire city on alert. A greatoppression of the prisoners began, and the treatment we receivedwas incredibly harsh. We were taken for a walk for 10 minutes everyday, but in the winter we had to run down the frozen stairs with ourshoes in our hands. When we got down we would put our shoes onand then walk for 10 minutes. Then we had to take our shoes offagain and run up the stairs to our cell. So I started hating even theopportunity to walk.

I was a cellmate of General Pascu. He was 70 years old and Iwas 41. So I would help him during the walk by holding his arm. Itold him about the Truth and the Golden Age that will eliminate allpain. He appreciated the Truth a lot. He was crying for his daughter,left at home, whom he never got to see again because he died in thatprison, in Gherla.

The Aiud Prison

In 1961 I was moved to the Aiud Prison, one of the harshestCommunist prisons. The country’s “cream of the crop” wereimprisoned here. (By this, I mean only educated men, professors,engineers, lawyers.)

But I had many opportunities to share the Truth. From thebeginning, I noticed that every morning they organized an Orthodoxbiblical service. In the same cell with me, among others, were a priest,an engineer, and a professor.

They noticed that I was sitting separately, and they asked me whatsect I belonged to. I told them that I was a free thinker and spoke onlyfrom the Holy Scriptures in harmony with the four attributes of God.

I remember a school principal from Fagaras, accused of being amember of the Resistance movement from the Fagaras Mountains (theones captured there, in the mountains, were condemned to death,which sentence was later changed to hard labor for life). Thisprincipal asked me about the soul, because the priest was saying that


God puts the soul in the mother’s womb. I had the chance to explainhow man was created and how he “became a living soul.” Theprincipal then said, “This must be the truth. That man became aliving soul, that there was a time when he was not, and that when hedies he is no longer.”

Because of the bad food and the small quantity of it, in 1962 Ibecame sick with stomach problems and was hospitalized and operatedon in the prison's hospital. After the treatment was over, I returned tothe cell, but I became so weak that I could get up only with greatdifficulty, holding onto the bed or the walls. During the walk someonehad to hold my arm; otherwise, I couldn’t stand on my feet.

When I was nearing the end of my fourth year in the Aiud Prison—because it was known that I was imprisoned for my faith—a lawyerfrom Bucharest asked me why I left the faith of my ancestors. Then Ihad the chance to speak about the true ancestral faith, the one fromthe beginning.

He was impressed and proposed that every morning we shouldhave some time for the clarification of the Bible, where everybodycould take turns by sharing his understanding of it. During my turn Ispoke about the symbols of the Bible: the woman veiled in the sun andwith the moon at her feet, the dragon that pulls after him the third partof the stars. I talked about the parables and other symbolic pictures.

As long as I was with the lawyer, he was always challenging meand asking me questions. He even asked me about the Lord’s coming,but I told him that we would clarify that gradually.

One morning, the guard opened the door and called the name ofthe lawyer and said: “Pack your things because you are being letgo!” But he turned to me and said, “Lazar, I’m not going out of hereuntil you finish what you have to say!” Then the guard asked, “Whatdoes he have to say?” “He talks about the resurrection of the dead,”the lawyer answered. So he stayed and listened until I finished what Ihad to say.

But not everybody in the cell was a sympathizer with the Word.There were eight people and four beds in our cell. As I said earlier, allof us were political prisoners, and all of them were educated people.I remember one time when I entered the cell and some were sitting onthe upper beds. I heard one of them say, “Gentlemen, I am speakingabout Lazar Fodor, who continually speaks religious propaganda,


and I will present this to the commander.” The one who spoke was agreat legionnaire.(1) So I answered him, “Gentlemen, it is true that Iwas imprisoned because I organized meetings of a biblical nature, butat least I didn’t do iron-guard politics. And if anybody wanted to knowwhy I was condemned, I did nothing but tell him the truth.”

Another time, a priest hit me on the face because he didn’t like whatI was saying. Also, we had permanent spies in the cell, which informedthe Communists of everything going on among the prisoners.

Galati

One night in December 1962, all the prisoners were packed likesardines—about 150 in each 70-seat bus—with the destination ofGalati. That year the Danube River had caused great flooding, andthe dams had to be elevated. From Galati they took us up on theDanube River about 100 km (60 miles), on a ferryboat tied to a ship.It was raining and snowing, and we were all wet. When we got off theferry, we had to march in columns of five through mud up to our kneesto the so-called “dorms.” There they gave us striped clothes, and thesecond day we started work.

We were given a daily work quota to raise the wall of the dam by3 cubic meters (9 cubic feet) per person. We were told that those whoaccomplished their quota would have the right to send a postcardhome and ask for a 5 kg. (11 lb.) package.

This period also passed, and one day I was freed and was able togo home.

Thanks be unto God that the present sufferings are not forever, thatthe trials we are subject to now are not everlasting—but everlastingis the life hidden in Him.

(1) Legionnaire: A member of the Legionary Movement—anultra-nationalist, anti-Semitic, fascist movement, and political partyin Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of WWII. It isalso known as the Iron Guard or Legion of the Archangel Michael.

Lazar and Anuta Fodor(1920-2003) - (Born 1923)

SIXTH MEMOIR

HOW WERE THE LIFE ANDTRIALS OF THE BELIEVERSIN THE COMMUNIST ERA?

ANUTA FODOR — SURDUC

Sr. Anuta has the talent of a writer. For a woman without muchformal education, we found that admirable. In the following testimonyof her life, she herself chose the title of the report, divided it bysections, and chose a subtitle for each. The storyline unrolls logicallyand memorably. With her gift of storytelling, Sr. Anuta recreatedplaces and events so that they became alive, as if in a movie.

How I Came to Know the Truth

My mother was a believer and loved the Truth, and I started toread the Bible while in school.

When I was 16, I read Volume VI, even though I didn’t understandit yet. I remember that at that time, an Adventist asked me to marryhim and talked to me about his books and about eternal torture. I toldhim, “Well, I know that Volume VI doesn’t support that!” (At that time,I thought that all Christians had Volume VI.)

At 17 years of age, Lazar, now my husband, asked me to marryhim. He was in Romania, and I was in Hungary. I was glad when Ifound out that his entire family believed in the Truth.

105

106 “The Believer in the Communist Era”

I received the Volumes from my aunt, Sr. Irina from Astileu. Shegave them to me with the desire that I would be duty bound to readthem all.

That was during the war, and my husband left with the army. It wasvery difficult to have light in the house because petroleum was scarceduring the war. I had a great desire to read, but there was no light, soI had to find a solution.

During the day I wasn’t able to read because I had things to do,but at night I would light the fire in the stove, and I rememberreading all of Volume V by that light. And I never forgot Chapter9, with the two questions every believer has to ask himself.(1) Iasked myself those questions and the answer was, “Yes!” Thisgave me an unspeakable joy. I read all the Volumes. Even thoughit was very tiring, I didn’t give up. So I read them all again, overand over again—even in the field at lunchtime.

After the war, my husband, Br. Lazar, came home.We had brethren coming out of the Pentecostals, among whom was

Sr. Eva, a sister with capacity and zeal. We rejoiced together, sharingwith all of them the precious Volumes, and so the brethren grew intheir knowledge of the Truth, slowly but very firmly. We each tookturns hosting the meetings at our houses.

The Circumstances and Persecutions under Capitalism

We were turned into the Sheriff by the village priest. He called myhusband, Lazar, into his office because he didn’t baptize our child.This summons took place in the year 1942. My husband told thesheriff that the priest must bring proof from the Bible that thechild must be baptized and he did not give in, even though he wasthreatened and retained at the police station.

During the course of this time, the Lord raised three morebrothers for us, who are still keeping their faith unspotted from theworld and its teachings.

(1) “Was I ever drawn to Christ?—to recognize him as myRedeemer, through whose righteousness alone I could have access tothe heavenly Father, and be acceptable with him? . . . Did I ever fullyconsecrate myself—my life, my time, my talents, my influence, myall—to God?” (Volume V, p. 229.)

“The Believer in the Communist Era” 107

The Beginning of the Communist Era and Its Persecutions

During the rise of Communism, we did not stop and did nothesitate for a moment, but continued preaching the Truth in secret.But gradually the Communist Security put us under surveillance.They hired detectives to spy on us every day. But there were alsogood people who were telling us that the Security wanted to catchus having a meeting.

For awhile we changed our customs and had our meetings in thefields. We would meet there and study together.

When we were warned that they were planning to catch us duringthe Lord’s Memorial, we held the meeting in the fields anyway duringthe night. With the oil lamp in our hand, we were hidden in a valleyfar away from the village.

The persecutions continued like a chain. They came to search ourhouses. When they confiscated our books for the first time, we wereable to regain them this way: The spy and the Security Officers left thesack of books with the store clerk while they went to drink somewhiskey. Somebody informed us of that, and so we went to the storewith other books. With the clerk’s approval, we were able to replacethe confiscated books in the sack with the other books. After that wewere more cautious, and we hid them well.

The Persecutions Intensify

A little after that experience, an official empowered by religiousorganizations came and called my husband Lazar to go to the townhall and sign a declaration that he would not be active in his religion.But he responded that he could not sign that declaration.

Then they came up with a plan to kidnap him. Here is how itworked. They had first arrested a young brother from Oradea bycalling him on the phone and asking him to go to Episcopia Bihorului,to a certain address, telling him that they needed him to fix the roof ofthe house. That was the bait. The young brother went there. That wasan area right near the border with Hungary. Big surprise! It turnedout that the house was the address of a Security Officer! When thebrother entered the house, they told him, “You are arrested becauseyou wanted to cross the border to spread propaganda on the otherside.” The brother was shocked by their plan.


They took him by car to the Security Office in Oradea where theyasked him about the brethren from Surduc—especially about myhusband, Lazar Fodor. They suggested hiring him as a spy andhaving him report to them three times a week. They also told him thathe would get free tickets to travel anywhere he chose. They also toldhim that he had one day to decide. They said that even though theyknew almost everything, they wanted to find out more. “We knowwhere Fodor is hiding his books; he took them to his neighbor acrossthe street,” they said.

Being a wise brother—immediately after he was released—heinformed us about the books. We took the books home from ourneighbor right away, without thinking they would come very soon.

The next morning, the young brother went and told Security thathe could not be their informer. This happened in December 10, 1958.

The Arrest of My Husband and Three Other Brothers from Surduc

Three days later on December 13, 1958, at 5:00 in the morning,somebody knocked adamantly at the door. The Security had keys andusually entered unexpectedly, but our lock was broken so they wereforced to wait.

We didn’t even imagine that they would come so soon, and,therefore, the books were sitting in one of the rooms—not hidden.The night before we had a meeting at some brethren’s house. Thecontent of the meeting was especially providentially designed. Thatevening we received great encouragement as we talked about thepersecutions of the saints and the example of Nehemiah and Ezra,who worked on the temple with one hand while holding theirweapons with the other.

And early in the morning we were tested to see what we would do.When we heard the knock on the door, my husband got up quickly(without turning on the lamp as we had no electricity at that time) andfive Security Officers came in dressed like civilians.

They had flashlights and told us to get dressed quickly. Aftermy husband got dressed, they told him, “You are arrested! Armsup!” To me, they said, “Get dressed because we have to searchthe house!”


The House Search

When they came in, I thought immediately of how I could save thebooks. In our smallest room there was a bed where two of ourdaughters were sleeping, one 13 years old, and the other one 9. Thebooks were in a chest under their bed. The Security Officers insistedthat I should get dressed, but I told them that I couldn’t get dressedwith them in there because my fear of them was so great, and Icouldn’t find my clothes. They asked me if I had another lamp, and Ilit an old one that we used for the barn.

While the boss was busy writing something, I told them, “Be goodand let me go in the small room to get dressed.” This is what I did. Itook the keys for the book chest from the room they were in, togetherwith some thread and went in the small room to get dressed. I wentunder the bed, opened the chest and took the books. I put the Volumesunder my clothes. The Volume IV was too big and I threw it in bedwith my daughters, together with the magazines, and they threw themout the window, behind the house, where we were storing wood. Wedid not know that the house was surrounded by the village policemen,but they did not say anything to the Security Officers inside, and sowe didn’t get in trouble for that. Because I was taking long, theSecurity Officers called, “You are not ready yet?” I told them that Iwas so scared that I couldn’t dress fast.

Finally, I finished getting dressed with the books underneath myclothes, I put a thick house robe on top and I came out slowly—forfear that the books would fall out! I asked them to come out with meto the outhouse. I didn’t really need to go but I had to take care of thebooks. I took thread and I bound the books around my waste andaround my legs, making sure they wouldn’t fall out. Then I told theSecurity Officers to come with me to put on my winter coat. Finally Iwas sure the books wouldn’t be noticed. They started the search in mydaughters’room, then in the other room, but they did not find anythingelse but four THE HARP OF GOD books and some Bibles.

They reported to their leader that they found no weapons.They did not search the hallway the leader was in. I was gladbecause I had there some kitchen cupboards, and the FifthVolume was there because we had read out of it during the lastmeeting, but my husband had the time to cover it with his hat. On


the cupboard glass was written “The Happy Man.” He asked me,“What does this mean?” I said, “That is how we are.” Then heasked, “Why didn’t you ask for authorization to function, like theother cults have done?” I answered, “The time will come that youwill take away their authorizations as well.” Then he said louder,“How do you know that?” Then I took the magazine THE BEE fromthe counter and told him, “I found that out from your magazine.”Then I read to them a verse from a poem that read, “I see the birthof a new world; A world anew, with no end; Where thrones andpulpits will be no more.” Then he told me, “How did you keep thismagazine for two years? We need people like you!”

The Difficulties that Followed the Arrest of My Husband Lazar

When they were about to take my husband away, I kissed him, butI did not cry (even though now at the age of 75, I cry while I write).

Why I didn't cry? Because the night before we had a veryencouraging meeting. I felt like I shouldn’t cry. It was like somethingwas urging me: we should be able to go even to death for Christ.

It was already light outside when the Security Officers left with myhusband and the other brethren. They took them to their van, while thepeople were watching, amazed, from their gates. Lazar’s mother senta neighbor to see what was happening with us, but the SecurityOfficers didn’t let her go back.

After they left, my husband’s mother told me what happened attheir house. Lazar’s father told them, “You took my DAILY MANNA,but I am not leaving here before you read to me today’s Manna,December 13.”

My beloved brethren, I think you know how special that Mannais— exactly corresponding to what was going on!(2) When theytook the four brothers away, a neighbor woman who was aCommunist had the courage to say, “Why are you taking thesegood people from our village?” They said, “If you keep talking,we’ll arrest you too!”

(2) Manna — December 13“‘Lay not this sin to their charge.’ Acts 7:60”


They got to the main road where a black van was waiting forthe Lord’s faithful ones to take them where they were supposedto go.

What Followed the Arrest of My Husband

The brethren that remained, including our children, werescared; but then we encouraged each other and had meetings instrictest secret. But the Communists kept under surveillanceevery step we took. One day they called our 15-year-old son—who lived with my mother-in-law—to their office and scared himvery much.

Lazar’s mother had heart problems and kept crying, having to beseparated from both her husband and her only son. After the sentencewas given, she fell to the ground, had a heart attack and died, saying,“My beloved son, Lazar, where are you?”

One month after the arrest we were told to go to the Security inOradea and take some socks and some clothes for the detainees. Iwent to the train station, 10 km (6 miles) by foot, took the train andfinally arrived at the gate of the Oradea Security.

There were other people waiting and each of us had a petition inour hands. The guard came and took the petition from the first person,who was an 18-year-old boy who came to bring clothes for his father.He read it and he didn’t like the way it was written and started yellingat the poor boy, “You pig! Get out!” I will never forget how red theface of the boy was. He was from Beius, and his father never camehome again as he had a liver illness and died in prison.

I was next, but seeing the way he was yelling at that boy, my heartstarted pounding heavily, but immediately I asked myself, “Why areyou so scared? Didn’t you vow to go even to death for Christ?” ThenI calmed down and gave my petition. He read it and took the packageof clothes without saying anything.

The days passed slowly and I couldn’t sleep or eat. I was thinkingof Lazar, how tired he was, and how hard he worked in the woods tocut wood for the Communists in order to be able to bring home asmall portion. He gathered three piles, two for the state and one forus—but they ended up taking all three piles.


I started to lose weight, and I realized that something was not okaywith me. I thought of going to the doctor to see if he would findsomething and then to ask for a petition for the Security to find outwhere my husband was.

When the doctor saw me, he said, “You are suspected of havingtuberculosis in both lungs, and need to go to the sanatorium. That’swhy you lost so much weight.”

The doctor gave me certification that I was sick, and I prepareda petition to take to the Oradea Court. In my request I formulated38 points from Volume IV, which advocated the proletariat andthe poor. I went one morning and stood face to face with the onewho was investigating my husband’s case. He took my requestand read it. I told him, “Our books are true, and they are abouta true communism.” He answered bluntly, “Yes, I read them. Butin Volume IV, I also found it against this regime: ‘Collectivismand Communism are not the remedy.’” Then he told me that myhusband’s case was in his hand and in two weeks he would bejudged. Then I asked him, “What is he being accused of?” Hetold me, “He has no authorization to preach. I warn you nowthat you are not allowed to witness to anybody. Especially foryour husband, it is strictly forbidden to witness, because he isvery intelligent and can prove anything. The Communist regimeforbids him all liberties.”

The Condemnation of My Husband and of the Other Brethren from the Bihor County

On April 17, 1959, the Military Tribunal from Timisoara went toOradea to judge twelve believers who did not deny their faith.

All the families of the prisoners came to the court. There was notransportation by car at that time, so I traveled in a wagon with allmy family for 30 km (19 miles). We were all anxious to see the facesof our beloved family members.

When we arrived in the courtroom, they were already there,every one having a guard right behind him with the guard’s handon his shoulders. I remember my younger daughters of 9 and 6were very tired of riding in the wagon and fell asleep in the armsof my relatives. Lazar wanted to look at us, but the guard hit him.


He didn’t feel good and asked for water. They gave him a pill andwater and while he was taking them he was able to look at us for amoment. I will never forget that moment.

The Court Proceedings

Sr. Irina from Astileu was questioned first, and they asked her,“Who educated you in this religion? Lazar Fodor?” She answered,“Categorically, NO! I am older in this faith, and I taught him. I gavehim the Volumes, which I obtained from Cluj and not from across theocean, like you wrote in the report.”

My husband was next, and they asked him about the chart with thethree worlds they had found during the house search. He explainedthe chart they were holding with their hands.

They asked all of them questions, and all answered well.At the end they gave them their sentences. The first was my

husband — 20 years of hard labor or 10 years of hard imprisonmentwith civic degradation and the confiscation of his wealth. Then abrother from Beius — 16 years; one from Oradea — 16 years;another one from Oradea — 15 years; one from Astileu — 12 years;Lazar’s father — 12 years; two brethren from Cabesti — 10 years;one from Surduc — 10 years.

All of them had their wealth confiscated. We were surprised bythese hard sentences.

After the Process

We left the courtroom and waited in the hallway to see our lovedones pass by. My husband was first and then all the others with theirguards. When Lazar’s mother, who was 58 years old, saw her son goby, even though we were not allowed to say anything, she couldn’tabstain from saying, “Don’t be discouraged, my son, because we areall well.” Then Lazar recognized her voice and turned his headtoward his mother for a second, but the guard hit him so hard that hefell to the ground.

Finally, the drama was over and we had nothing to do other thango back home with our hearts bleeding, feeling like we were leavingour beloved in the hands of tyrants.


The Stresses that Overwhelmed Us Afterwards

The children and I were so tired that we fell asleep right awaywhen we got home. But a few minutes later I woke up scared, asking,“Whoa! What has happened? 20 years…” Again I fell asleep andagain I woke up repeatedly, until the morning came.

In the morning, I prayed to God and read the MANNA, and I wasencouraged again.

The girls were asked by the people and at school if they had seentheir father. They were not able to respond, but just cried.

This shock also passed and we had to get used to the longsentence. I also had to prepare for the Sanatorium and go withurgency. I made arrangements for my family and took the youngestdaughter, age 6, to my mother in Tetche, 30 km (19 miles) away.

Spying at the Sanatorium

When I entered the Sanatorium, the doctor told me that I had tostay there a long time in order to recuperate. I encouraged myselfsaying that I could suffer anything, that it was not hard yet, feeling theLord’s presence with me.

I did not tell the doctor my difficulties and I gave him 100 lei, aswas the custom. They had no medicine to treat this illness so theytreated it with pneumothorax (air to the lungs) and Hidrazide 16 timesa day and 20 pills a day.

The next day a female Security Officer was hospitalized at theSanatorium and took the bed beside mine. I had no idea who she was.But when the Security Officer went for a walk, the doctor came to mybed to see me and told me, “Be careful not to tell anybody that yougave me money because the woman who came today and took the bedbesides yours is a Security Officer, and she came for a month of rest.”

The doctor did not know about my problems and was thinkingthat the Security Officer was after him, but I thanked God for Hisoverruling. I had with me the MANNA and one Volume—and I placedthem under my mattress immediately.

The days were passing one by one. It was the month of April,when all the peasants were going out in the fields to sow theirseeds, and I had only just entered the rest period. After a week, my


girls—the 13- and the 9-year old ones—came to visit me in theSanatorium and asked me who they should ask to sow the corn forus. (They had traveled 20 km [12.5 miles] by foot.) The Securitywoman who was spying on me saw them and brought food for themfrom the kitchen.

The girls went back home and kept writing to me. The SecurityOfficer kept asking about my husband, but I knew what to tell herbecause I knew who she was. Then when she was walking with theother roommates, she asked them about me. They did not know thatshe was a Security Officer and they told her that they hated all theSecurity Officials in the country because they arrested such goodpeople as my husband.

I would see her writing every day. She also read some of theletters my daughters were sending me, and she saw that we weresimple peasants, condemned as if we were top government leaders.

Two weeks after my hospitalization, she was already convincedof whom I was and she completed her last duty. It was late atnight, and everybody was sleeping in the room. She whispered tome, “Mrs. Fodor, are you sleeping?” I answered, “I’m not sleepingbecause I received a letter from home, where my oldest daughterwrites that I should be calm because she is doing everything athome, and she is getting the little one ready for school. But howabout you, you’re not sleeping either?” “No,” she said to me. “Ihave to tell you something you don’t know. Do you know who Iam? I am a Security Officer placed here for yourself and now Ihave reached a final conclusion as to who you are.” Then shepulled up her nightshirt, took off her gun from her waist, and putit in her suitcase. When I saw that, I was shaken and was amazedat God’s care for me, and I said, “Who am I, Lord, that you shouldcare for me so much?”

Three months passed in the hospital, and I told the doctor aboutmy difficulties and why I had to go home. He agreed and wrote meprescriptions to continue the treatment at home.

The Confiscations that Followed the Arrest of My Husband

After my return home, the Security authorities came to confiscateour assets. They took two cows that I used for pulling the yoke,


and they left the two that were small and weak. They allowed usto continue to live in the house, but made me sign a contract forus to rent three rooms and the kitchen, which would cost 43 lei perroom per month. In addition I had to pay rent for the fourth roomthat they transformed into the village medical office.

I had to pay for the court expenses for the initial case, 500 lei,and then for recurrences 500 more lei. All these demands theyasked of me. It was very difficult to pay because I had no sourceof income, but God gave me his peace and comfort. Every twoweeks I would walk to Episcopia Bihorului—10 km (6 miles)—forair treatment for my lungs.

Lazar’s mother died shortly after I came home from the hospital.She had a heart attack and died crying for her son and her husband.Now I had to keep two households up and running.

What My Children Felt and the Difficulties That Followed

After I came home from the Sanatorium I met the Sheriff. Hetold me, “Mrs. Fodor, I will never forget your daughters. Afteryou left for the hospital, I was given the order to spy on yourhouse and your daughters every night and inform the Security ifI observed anything unusual. I know well who you are, andtherefore I protected you when they arrested your husband anddid not tell them how your daughters threw the books out thewindow. But now I was obligated to go to your home. It was oneo’clock in the morning. All the lights were off in the village—yours being the only one with the lamps on. I sent the nightwatch before me to announce my coming so that they would notbe scared.

After entering the house, I was greatly surprised at what Ifound. The older girl was cutting weeds for the ducks, and theyounger one was peeling potatoes. I asked them, “At this time ofthe night, when everybody is sleeping, you are working?” “Yes,”the older one said, “Because our daddy is in prison and ourmother is in the sanatorium and tomorrow we have to sow thecorn. I hired a man to work for us with his horses plowing thefield, and my sister is going to school.”

And so the girls also survived and suffered.


About that time Br. Miklos came secretly to visit us and to comfortus and encourage us. It was at night, and he brought us a notebookwhere it was written about the condemnation of our Lord Jesus, whowas also accused of plotting against the Jewish government. That wasextremely encouraging!

Later, the brethren from Cluj sent a brother who was lame, tofind out news about us. Even though he came secretly, the brotherwas caught and was taken to the Police station, which was threevillages away from us.

We tried to find out by asking people what happened. The stationSheriff asked him where he was from, and he answered that he wasfrom the village of Bica, Cluj county. The Sheriff was from the samevillage, and he realized that he was related to the brother! Here’s whathe told him, “I received an order to send you from police station topolice station until you arrive in Cluj. But now, come with me and Iwill show you the way from here to the train station.” He took him tothe train, and he also gave him food for the trip back. Here we seeGod’s help.

Days, months, and years passed. The other brethren who wereimprisoned from our village were allowed to send letters and toreceive a 5 kg. (11 lb.) package each month, but my husband didnot have this right. He was kept in the cell and was not allowedto work.

Somebody told me that on June 1, the Children’s National Day, thechildren were allowed to ask about their father. We immediately senta letter to prison headquarters in Bucharest, and we received thisanswer, “Yes, your father lives, and he is fulfilling his sentence at oneof Romania’s prisons.”

After four years of imprisonment, we received a postcard whichsaid that my husband had the right to one 5 kg. (11 lb.) package onceevery two years.

I want to describe one of my mistakes, which found me unprepared.The difficulties were intensifying one after another, but I was not upsetbecause every night I was studying and feeling that the Lord was withme. But here was a trial that showed my insufficiency.

Often I sang the hymn, “And even beaten by fate, I never cry.”But I did come to cry and even in front of the authorities. Here ishow it happened.


Every month I had to pay rent for the two rooms and the kitchen,which I was using. The fee was 45 lei per room. I also had to pay forthe third room where the village medical office was set up.

One morning all the Communist village leaders—thePreceptor, the village Mayor and some policemen—came to myhouse to sequester it. I had not paid rent for the dispensary duringthe last six months, having already a very difficult time paying forour rooms.

Seeing this and being very upset, I started to cry and told theMayor, “Mr. President, am I able to pay for the dispensary, me awoman suffering from tuberculosis? The children are minors and myhusband was arrested.” And I cried desperately. The president hadcompassion on me and said, “Don’t punish this woman because I willfile a request to cancel her duty of paying for the dispensary.”

Immediately after they left, I realized that I faltered because I hadcomplained about my situation before the authorities. Why did I haveto mention that my husband was arrested? They knew that too well! Iwent to my room and looked at my husband’s picture, then I fell downon my knees, crying and praying to God to forgive me. How couldI, who was claiming to be ready even to die for Christ, bend underdifficulties? The Lord saw my deficiency and forgave me by giving mecourage again on the narrow way.

The Investigation of the Brethren Imprisoned. The Change of Verdict from ‘Crime’ to ‘Plotting’

and Other Details

After three and a half years, the regime changed the verdict thatwas used to find the brethren guilty from ‘crime’ to ‘plotting,’ whichimplied an easier sentence. Those who had ten years received three;those with twelve received four; and those with fifteen to sixteenreceived five years; and my husband, who had twenty years receivedseven years.

So the Lord overruled that Br. Niculae Vese, having three yearsfulfilled, came home. Then, at four years came those with twelve years,among whom were Pavel Fodor (my father-in-law) and Br. Iancu.

We had great joy that they returned home faithful and werecoming to the meetings. The meetings took place in great secret.


During the meeting, we would hide the books and would leave outonly one at a time. The books they took when they searched the house,I had to transcribe by hand—an extract from the Towers and VolumeIII. Only during the night did I have time to write, but I rejoiced thatI had them, because I loved them greatly.

What the Brethren Told Us About Their Experiences in Prison

Yes, my father-in-law came home after four years—only to findthat his wife had passed away.

Here is what he told us about the prisons when they took them fromOradea to Gherla. Those sentenced to many years were tied withchains. “I held Lazar’s hand so he could walk while we passed therailroad tracks, and then we were separated. Those who had from 15years up had heavy chains around their feet and could hardly get intothe train. Those things would take place at night when there were nopeople at the train station. I have not seen Lazar since then.”

He also told me that every month he was called and asked if he hadre-educated himself regarding his faith in God.

“One time the guard came, put metal glasses over my eyes andtold me, ‘Come, I’m taking you to the interview!’ He left me in thewaiting room and went to bring others. We would stay there until wewould hear our names. So when my turn came, I went in and heardhim yelling, ‘Your God is so and so…,’ and he said all kinds of dirtywords. Then he asked me, ‘Do you still believe in this God?’ Then Iwas so upset to hear those dirty words that I told him loudly andfirmly, ‘You can know, Sir, that even if my bones are left in thisplace, I will not abandon my God!’ And I showed with my handdown to the ground. When the investigator heard that, he shoutedloudly, ‘Get out of here, you pig!….’ And he swore at me.

“Next after me was a prisoner from the Lord’s Army (a religiousgroup). When he heard what took place, he fell down and fainted.They picked him up and took him to the medical office.”

My father-in-law told me that they suffered three methods ofextermination: cold, fatigue, and hunger. “They would give us 100 g(3.5 oz.) of bread and a piece of corn mush. After we would eat it allat once, we would get so hungry that the pain was as strong as a


toothache. I lost a lot of weight, so that I got down to 40 kg (88 lbs.).I was not able to stand up unless I would hold onto the bed.”

What Followed: Trials and Testings, Encouragement and Discouragement

The time passed more easily after we saw that the brethren werecoming home faithful. The people of the village, seeing that theyreturned, praised God for delivering them from the many difficultiesthey went through.

However, I was still waiting for the time to pass to see my belovedhusband come home.

Meanwhile, the Communist regime was heavily burdening thepeasants. I was left alone to work the land, but at the end not even theweeds were growing—let alone the crops. Because I had no strength tofertilize it and to plow with the oxen, the ground produced nothing.When my husband came home, he found us with only one cow.

But there was one Gethsemane-like testing that I had two yearsbefore Lazar came home. And I said, “Lord, please, if possible, takethis cup from me!”

Here is how it happened: I was going regularly to get an airtreatment for my lungs, every two weeks. One day the doctor told methat I had to be hospitalized to receive injections. But after I finishedtaking the injections, they caused a toxic reaction in my body, whichattacked my cerebellum. When I got up to go and pick up the hospitalrelease form, I saw black before my eyes, and my legs were staggering.The doctor called immediately for other doctors to make an analysis.The diagnosis was that I was experiencing toxic drug reaction. WhileI was lying in bed, I was fine. The problem would manifest itself onlywhen I would get up. So I had to stay a long time in the hospital.

And while I was laying in bed, all kinds of thoughts would come tome. What if I would never be able to walk again and would have tostay in bed for the rest of my life? My husband would come homeneeding somebody to take care of him. How would he be able to takecare of me after so many years of suffering? Thus, I had all kinds ofthoughts in my mind regarding the future.

And for three days I lay in bed praying and crying, saying, “Lord,why hast thou forsaken me?” Through all the difficulties I went


through, I felt the hand of God with me, and now, I was desperate, asif I would have to solve all the problems myself. I did not lean on theLord’s arm.

After three days, a friend of mine came to see me at the hospital. Itold him about my situation, and he told me, “Don't worry! Somebodyin our village had the same problem but after a year it was all gone.”Then he encouraged me by saying that my husband would come home,and I would rejoice. Gradually, I got out of bed and started walkinglittle by little, holding onto the walls or being helped by others. Mycourage returned. I asked for forgiveness from the Father because Ihad worried for three days about the future and did not put my trustin Him.

Even though the doctor did not want to let me go, I asked forpermission to go home. For a year, I walked close to the wallsbecause I had lost control of my legs. After a year, I was able towalk again on the street—if somebody would hold me. Then, everyday I would get better. But even now, as I am writing, I still feelthe dizziness.

Finally, the year, day, and much-awaited hour arrived. In 1964,in June, my husband received a pardon from seven years, to fiveyears and two weeks. I saw him coming down the middle of theroad, surrounded by people who were holding his hands. The entireroad, from ditch to ditch, full of people! In this way the Lord hadbrought him home to me—may God be praised forever and ever thatall this has passed! Amen.

Nelu Galis (Born 1935)

SEVENTH MEMOIR

“THE SKY SEENTHROUGH BARS”

NELU GALIS — RUGINOASA

“You have no idea how beautiful the sky is when seen throughbars!” says Br. Nelu. The expression startled me. When you have thefreedom to look at the sky any hour of the day or night with its entireexpanse, you do not realize the privilege you enjoy. But when youcannot see more than a small piece of it—and this from behind bars—the sky gains a special new beauty.

Br. Nelu needs no introduction. You could hardly find a brother inRomania who does not know him!

Not having a family, Br. Nelu consecrated his entire life to theTruth and to the brethren. He has traveled extensively, preaching theWord, encouraging the brethren, suffering persecutions—all with thesame zeal and tireless enthusiasm. He is one of the most activebrethren we have ever met. Truly, he is consumed in the service of theGreat King.

Through his character and life, Br. Nelu is an example ofrare idealism.

(After much insistence, because he doesn’t like to talk abouthimself, we obtained from Br. Nelu the following material. Thesection divisions are ours; otherwise, we have tried to maintainhis testimony as close to the original as possible.)

123

124 “The Sky Seen Through Bars”

Persecution by the Orthodox Church before Communism

From the information I received from the older brethren, theTruth was known in the Almas Valley from 1912-1913, before WorldWar I.

In the village of Lapug, now Ruginoasa, and in Stobor, aneighboring village, there were Baptist brethren. In Stobor there wasa brother named Gheorghe Amaru (nicknamed “Amaru,” meaningPoor), who was the Minister for the Baptist church for the entire AlmasValley up to Jibou.

Br. Gheorghe’s son recounts how Br. Szabo from America, sent byBr. Russell, stayed in Stobor for two weeks to talk to Br. Gheorghe. Heremembers how the children would stay late at night behind the stoveand listen to the two of them talk, while the table was full of books.Both of them knew Hungarian so they were able to communicate.

After this time, both of them went to Lapug and preached theTruth, and the first two classes of Bible Students in the Almas Valleywere formed.

About Br. Gheorghe Amaru from Stobor, it is said that once whilehe was going to the meeting in Lapug, he met with a priest who wasgoing the opposite direction to the church in Stobor. The priestslapped him in the face after which Br. Gheorghe answered verygraciously. The priest then said, “Oh, poor you!” The deacon of thepriest who was present started to call him “The Poor from Stobor,”and this remained his nickname.

The brethren and the old villagers recount a great immersionservice that took place during those days in the valley of Lapug.There were many people and there were tents made out of flowerybedspreads where those who were being baptized could changeclothes. There were very many immersed.

This was the beginning—and then the Truth spread to the south inthe Almas Valley, in the localities of Bozolnic, Sutor, Chendremal,Zimbor, Dol, Sanmihai, Sanpetru, Almas, etc. I love to tell about thebeautiful beginnings of the Bible Students, which later left “flowers ofremembrance” for us also. At the place I was told this baptism tookplace more than 80 years ago, I like to organize Bethel services tospend moments of pleasant memories and to refresh my soul withreflections of those times.

“The Sky Seen Through Bars” 125

Sr. Marie from Dol, who finished her earthly journey a few yearsago, was telling me about an experience from 1923-25. There was ameeting in Bozolnic and the gendarmes came there and arrestedmany, beat them, and kept them detained. They asked her, “What areyou doing here, Mrs. Marie? Why didn’t you stay home?” Later, theleaders of the gendarmes who led that action got very sick and said,“I am dying because I beat the Protestants.”

Between 1940 and 1944, under Hungarian domination, thebrethren were persecuted by the Hungarian gendarmes. In Stoborduring a funeral, a gendarme got up on the coffin and drove awaythe brethren.

Br. Danila Macauan told how many brethren were detained andbeaten during that period. Br. Danila was tied up with a rope, andthey would pick him up by the rope and beat him severely. When hewas freed, he was all black and blue. Sometimes the brethren wereturned in by priests and were accused of being Communists. In thisway Br. Gligoras from Caian was arrested.

After the Hungarian domination passed, the brethren continuedto be pursued by the Romanian authorities. In Tamasa Mare at abig meeting, the Romanian gendarmes arrested the speakers andsome of them were condemned by the Cluj Tribunal to months oryears in prison.

About that time, Br. Macauan went to Cluj to visit our brethrenwho were imprisoned. In the center of the city there was a largepublic gathering taking place, and Petru Groza, the president fromThe Plowers Party, was giving a speech where he was showing thatnow the people have many rights. Then Br. Danila said with a loudvoice, “Mister President, you were saying that there is freedom. Whythen do have I ten brothers in prison for their faith here in Cluj?”Then Groza gave the order to have them freed.

Under the Communist Regime

With the rise of Communism, the priests’ authority was weakened.But then the brethren started being persecuted by the Communists.

During the years 1958-1959, many brethren from the area of Cluj,Dej, and Bihor were judged by the court and sentenced to many yearsof prison (up to 25 years), with confiscation of their wealth, no rightto visitors, and no right to keep in touch with their families.


They were condemned under the accusation of crime against theCommunist arrangement. Some of these brethren were: DanilaMacauan from Chendremal (this brother was imprisoned multipletimes under the Hungarian occupation and under the CommunistRegime); Vasile Pop from Starci; Lazar Fodor; Iancu Petrita; AndreiMonenciu from Bihor; Br. Codreanu, the father of Sr. Irina fromCabesti; Br. Bote from Cluj; Alexandru Mogojan from Ocna Dejului;Dionisie Moraru from Petrosani (who was imprisoned a J.W. butreceived the Truth while in prison, where he was also baptized); and,also, Sr. Irina from Astileu.

However, in 1964 all the brethren were freed from prison. Fromwhat they told me, I know they were tortured as political prisoners.For investigation, they were transported using chains and handcuffs,with metal glasses on their eyes so they couldn’t see. Then they weretaken for heavy labor to Balta Brailei for heavy labor and weredeprived of food. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses were imprisoned togetherwith our brethren.

Meanwhile, we know that the “Viata” Society was dissolved andthe separation from the Witnesses took place. Br. Onisim Filipoiufrom Sibiu printed Volume VI in a cellar in the locality of Sadu. Sr.Mariuca Rosca was telling me that she visited him at home andfound him eating only some cold cornmeal. The sister of ElenaFilipoiu—Br. Iacob Filipoiu’s wife—kept guard by watching. Whensomebody would pass by, she would hit her foot against the floor—because they were doing the printing work clandestinely. In this waywe had Volume VI, by the help of which we grew spiritually andrefreshed ourselves.

How I Came to Know the Truth

After the release of the brethren from prison in 1964, meetingswere still forbidden, and the brethren were not allowed to travel andvisit other brethren. Nevertheless, meetings were taking place insmall circles.

During that year—without being baptized yet—I started goingto the Baptist Church in Manastur District, city of Cluj. SomeJehovah’s Witnesses started to visit me, and I stopped going tothe Baptists.


A brother from Ruginoasa, Gheorghica, who was paralyzed atthat time, saw that the Jehovah’s Witnesses were coming to visit meand said that he wanted to give me a book to read. It was the SixthVolume. I took it and read it, after which I said, “Whoever wrotethis book is a man of God, and I will never abandon his teachings.”Then I talked to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and asked them if theyhad the teachings of Br. Russell, to which they answered, “Yes.He is the seventh messenger, and all his teachings were good inhis time.” I did not understand then what they meant by “in histime.” I found out later, after talking to our brethren, Br.Gheorghica and Br. Vasile Crisan from Gilau, who explained tome what this meant and how “the light increased.” When theWitnesses visited me again, I asked them some questions to whichthey had no answers. Then I told them that I would remain withthe teachings of Br. Russell.

I was baptized in 1965 by Br. Vasile Crisan and Gheorghe fromGilau. The first meetings I participated in were in Cluj with Bros.Nucu, Moraru, Bote and Surducan. I traveled to Gilau, Garbau,Aghires Factories, Zalau and Arghis, visiting the brethren.

On December 30, I went to the first meeting in Sighet and tookwith me my tape recorder. (These were the first recorded discourses ofthe brethren.) Br. Sabau from Miti Valley and Br. Lazar Fodor spoke.In Sighet we had our big meetings on holidays, such as 1st of May,23rd of August, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Sr. Mariuca Rosca, during my beginnings in this faith, wassending me letters at my work through her brother-in-law (notthrough the postal service because that method would be dangerous).These were of great help to me. Many are the beautiful experiences Iwent through after I found this treasure of Truth with the brethren.

The Arrest and the Trial

During 1968-69, we started organizing public meetings in theAlmas Valley, in the villages of Bozolnic, Tamasa, Almas, Ruginoasa,Mierta, Sutor, Dol, and Chendremal. Sometimes the police wouldcome to threaten us. Then they started to penalize us little by little.But then we were hoping that it would continue this way—with onlythreats and reasonable fines.


But on the 5th of April in Ruginoasa, while we were having a bigmeeting, one of the village priest’s helpers called the Security. FourSecurity Officers and some policemen showed up during the meetingand asked for our permit to function. When we told them that we didnot have one, the Sheriff said, “If you don't have one, I am godhere!” And the search started. Every one of the brothers—but lessso the sisters—had to show his identity card and was searched. Theyconfiscated hymnbooks, Mannas, Bibles, Volumes, and the taperecorder. Then they turned everything upside down and searchedeverywhere—except the table on which they were writing their case!Actually, in this table’s drawer were Volumes I, IV, V, and VI! And sothe Lord delivered these Volumes from their hands. Many hymn-books were saved because they were thrown out of the window andothers were hidden in the chimney. I had seventeen tapes recorded,all of which they found, and they took them. In fact, these tapesproved valuable for us during the investigation, because theauthorities could hear that the brethren did not speak evil againstthe authorities and had no secrets.

Nevertheless, after a while, they started to put together a courtcase. The second day they went and searched the homes of Br.Cornel Negrea in Mierta and Br. Augustin Pop from Sampetru.They took everything they found, and put together a case in orderto arrest them.

Time passed until July 17, 1970, during which time they weretrying to collect information from witnesses. On this particularday, though, we were called to go to the police station inCuzaplac, and I took my bike because I did not know that theywould arrest me.

When I got there, they took my bike and ordered me to go into theSecurity Officer’s car. In the back seat was Br. Cornel, who was alsoarrested. He was like an angel for me! He strengthened me, and myfear went away.

When we arrived in Cluj at the Military Tribunal, we saw Br.Augustin Pop from Sampetru, who had also been arrested. Theyarrested him just as he had gotten home from his work in Rajnov(near Brasov).

The commander of the Tribunal recorded our declarations, askingwhat we believed and what we expected to take place on the earth.


Among other things, we told them that soon the Kingdom of Godwould begin to be manifested on earth—which would have its capitalin Jerusalem—where the prophets would be resurrected. Then all theearth would become a paradise, and all the people would go in greatnumbers to the Lord’s mountain.

At the end, the secretary read my declaration that I had to sign.But she had added that with the kingdom coming, the SocialistRepublic of Romania and the government of the Communist Partywould no longer be. I didn’t want to sign it, and told them that I hadmentioned nothing about Romania and its government. TheCommander then asked me to give a declaration that Romania andthe Communist Party would remain—a statement that I wasn’t able tosign. Then I changed the declaration to say that all the nations,Romania included, would enter into the Kingdom.

From Cluj they took us to Zalau where they interrogated us for 30days. Only on the first day did they ask us questions about ourselves.The rest of the time they asked for information about other brethren.With whom did we meet? Who was at which meeting? Who spoke? etc.

During all this time we were isolated from each other. They tookdeclarations from each, which they were comparing to see if we toldthe truth. In the cell we were not supposed to sit on the bed during theday, and the light was permanently turned on. They would take usoutside for walks for 15 minutes every day, in a space of 4 x 6meters (13 x 20 ft). There, I loved to look at the sky.

Inside, I would communicate with Br. Cornel through the wall,greeting him by tapping three times, and he would answer if he hadnot been taken for investigation.

After a month they took all three of us, put us in a car and took usto the prison in Cluj. They gave us used striped clothes (with at least10 patches each) and put us in a smoky cell without beds or chairs.There were only some wooden boards that were folded up during theday and brought down for the night. We thought that this was life inprison, but they did this only to scare us.

Toward the evening they took us out, gave us better stripedclothing and put us in cells with beds, mattresses, pillows andblankets. There were seven or eight of us, among whom was a detaineewith a wooden leg (whom we found out later was their spy). Wereceived 125 grams (4.4 oz.) of bread and a piece of cornmeal daily.


Our Cell Number 12 held the political prisoners. All the rest ofthem were for common criminals. But during the day we had to washthe floors for the common criminals’ cells.

All three of us being in the same cell, I learned “My MorningResolve” and “A Vow unto the Lord” from Br. Augustin, who knewboth of them by heart. We were there for about two months, and thenthe sentence followed.

Many brethren were in the Tribunal Room on that day. The defenselawyer tried to defend us, but the prosecutor came on very stronglyagainst us. At the end the judge asked us if, after we had served oursentences, we would continue in this faith. All of us responded thatwhatever would happen we would continue in it. Finally, they gave usthe sentences: Br. Augustin was condemned to five years, Br. Cornelto six, and I got eight years. We found out later that these sentenceswere decided in advance by the Security and were only communicatedat the proceedings.

Cry for Joy

During the investigation and the trial, we counted it as agreat blessing to be held accountable for a faith and a Truth sowonderful and to be arrested and condemned to prison for it.Sometimes we would cry for joy. The sky seen through bars wasvery beautiful. In there we felt the loving protection of our Fatherand of dear Lord Jesus much more even than when we were outin freedom.

I remember that after we put on our new striped clothes and thethree of us met again and saw each other in our new clothes, weactually started to cry for joy!

When I recalled the joy I felt when seeing the faces of my belovedbrethren and sisters during the trial—I received great encouragementthrough them, too.

We were joyful also, because during the investigation and trial wewere able to testify about our precious and wonderful Truth. If wewould have renounced it, they would have freed us immediately, butthe Lord protected us from this fall. And, even though I made mymistakes, I repented and asked the Father to forgive me and toattribute to myself the merit of our Lord Jesus.


Even though we refused to appeal, our families did. So we went toBucharest by train in a small 1m x 1m cell (3.3 x 3.3 ft), being thusseparated from the prisoners for common crimes. But we were veryhappy together. After arriving at the Vacaresti Prison, we stayed foralmost two months. Then we were taken to the Supreme Tribunal andwe were assigned a woman lawyer. While she was skimming throughthe documents for our cases, we caught glimpses of the pictures ofsome brethren—and we rejoiced! The judge did not talk long with usbefore he said that the sentence given in Cluj was good. Here, too, wehad brethren who came and supported us: my father, Sr. Dina . . . thewife of Br. Augustin . . . the son of Br. Cornel . . . Br. Puiu and others.

When we returned to the Vacaresti Prison, a policeman brought usin front of a big garbage can and asked us to go inside it—because hesaid that was the only place we were good for. We did not go in.

After we returned to the cell, we met with other prisoners who wereJehovah’s Witnesses with whom we talked extensively. The situationhere was better than in Cluj. The food was better, and the walk wasthirty minutes long. We were all happy and were waiting to be broughtto Aiud where we would fulfill our sentences.

During all this time, we were able to sing (“Wherever with Jesus,”“Always on the Lord’s Path,” etc.) and to pray together. When thefirst sergeant would hear us, he would yell, “What is this? A church?”But he wouldn’t do anything else. Beautiful memories have remainedwith us from this Vacaresti Prison also.

In Prison

I was taken to Aiud one month sooner than Br. Cornel andBr. Augustin.

Arriving there during the night, we passed through three gatesbefore we arrived at the cell I was assigned to. This prison was onlyfor political detainees accused of propaganda against the Socialistorder. Its name was Zarca, and it was built during the life of QueenMaria Tereza, during the Austro-Hungarian order. The prison had theshape of a train, a long corridor with cells on each side.

Here I met other detainees: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Adventists,Pentecostals and Priests. In the morning an Adventist brother cameto the door and looked through the peephole, asking, “Who is the


millennialist brother that came last night?” And he offered mecookies and a jar of jam!

Every day we were taken to work. First, I worked on making boxesfor storing the crops of the fields; then I worked on making binders.At the end I worked in a workshop making sofas.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses started asking me all kind of questions,which I had difficulty answering being young in the Truth and withoutexperience. I could hardly wait for the other two brethren to comefrom Bucharest. They were able to answer them better and withoutfear. Gradually, I learned to defend the Truth so that now I wanted totalk to the Witnesses, but they were not interested anymore.

Somehow we were able to obtain a pencil—1cm long—andsomeone obtained a New Testament. When we had a “good guard,”we would copy Psalms, chapters from the epistles and parts of theGospels on the paper the chocolate was packaged in. Then we wouldwork on memorizing what we had copied. And so the news spreadthroughout the whole prison that Br. Cornel knew the entire Bible byheart. The Lord performed wonders with us, and we learned therewhat we probably would not have been able to learn in freedom. Wewent through experiences that taught us wonderful lessons.

On Sundays in the cell, our thoughts went to the brethren who weremeeting together outside. I would remember the meetings I attendedwhen I was at home where I had many occasions to fellowship aboutthis precious Truth.

In the workshop I was with the brethren, and we had our mealstogether as well. This way I had the opportunity to learn hymns fromBr. Cornel, who knew them by heart. Sometimes many of us in theworkshop would sing. One time a sergeant came by and asked whowas singing. One of the Christians said that he was the one. “Why?”the sergeant asked. “To calm my soul.” In this way he saved us.

One time a colonel from Bucharest came while we were workingin the shop, and when he was in our work area he asked, “Are thesethe millennialists from Zalau? Is the Millennium coming?” Weanswered, “Of course it’s coming, Mr. Commander.” He didn’tanswer and moved on.

I remember how nervous I was when they wanted to move us toanother cell. I heard a call, “Everybody out!” I had hidden papers inthe mattress on which I wrote verses. I barely had time to take them


out of the mattress when, a few seconds later, the officer came in tosearch the cell. But the Lord protected me and helped me take them toanother cell where I could read them.

Other brethren came to visit us in prison—but they were notallowed to see us. Only our immediate families were allowed.However, if there was a considerate first sergeant on duty, sometimesother visitors were allowed. That was the way Sr. Calina and Sr. Irinafrom Sighet were able to come in and talk to us. That made me veryhappy. But when Sr. Calina came again, together with Br. Nicufrom Sampetru, they were taken to the commander’s office andwere questioned and threatened with imprisonment.

Though it is true that many times I was nervous in front of theofficers, I was never without the Lord’s help.

Liberation

We were arrested in 1970 and were freed with a decree in1974. Br. Augustin was freed in the spring of 1974, and I wasfreed in the fall.

Just before our release when we were working in the shop, thefirst sergeant called us to return all the tools. He then took us toour cell to gather our personal belongings. They searched us andthreatened us that if we would continue in our faith, we wouldcome back there.

We were thankful that we had remained faithful during all thattime—even though we had continual need of the Lord’s merit to coverour mistakes. The Father had mercy on us and kept us from falling. ToHim we bring our thanks from the depth of our hearts.

Right: Cornel Negrea (1920-2004)

EIGHTH MEMOIR

“MUCH JOY IS OURS”

CORNEL NEGREA — MIERTA

With a soft facial expression revealing a great internal calmnessand a clear and warm heart, Br. Cornel from Mierta (as he wasknown to the brethren) was one of the most prominent figuresamong Bible Students in the Almas Valley. His calm voice exudedan unexpected force when he began singing. In fact, he was thehymn leader at Conventions. Yet, his talent was not limited to thatability. The fact is well known that he even composed hymns.Having an exceptional memory, he also knew the Truth very well.

The report below—after much insistence—was obtained bygathering information from Br. Cornel Negrea, who did not want totalk too much about his own experiences (not wanting to be interpretedas boasting).

The father of Br. Cornel, who had a profound religious spirit, wasOrthodox. During World War I, while in Russia, he came in contactwith a Baptist and decided to convert to Protestantism. When hereturned from the War in 1918, he came in contact with our brethrenwho had lived in his village, Mierta, since 1912. Together with hiswife, he consecrated.

With this background, Br. Cornel came to be born into a family ofbelievers—even though his mother died six months after his birth. Ata very young age, his father took him to meetings and entertainedbrethren, and so the spirit of the Truth penetrated his mind.

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136 “Much Joy Is Ours”

Nevertheless, Br. Cornel had spent his youth in the world, wherehe married at 19 to an Orthodox girl. At the beginning of WorldWar II, he enlisted in the military. Then in the middle of the War, heremembered God and what he had learned in his childhood, and hedecided to consecrate. One year passed after he returned homebefore the fulfillment of that resolution in 1945.

Since 1947, at the same time as the ascension of Communism andits assumption of power, the restrictions began. Especially in theAlmas Valley, the regime was very severe. More than a few times theSecurity appeared in the middle of the meetings, confiscating booksand issuing fines.

Being young, the militia tried to pull Br. Cornel into a trap,asking him to become their informer. This move was the usualtactic of the Communists—and not only in the religious sphere; buthe refused categorically.

Once Br. Nelu Galis organized a big meeting at his home inRuginoasa. The brethren were caught by the Security Officers, andafter having to give some declarations, they were put on a penal listto be spied on by them.

Not long after that episode, Br. Cornel received a citationwhere he was asked to go to the police department in a neighboringvillage. There he found Br. Nelu! They were both arrested and takento the Cluj tribunal, where a chain of exhausting investigationsbegan. Finally, they were condemned under the accusation that theywere making propaganda against the Socialist order—becausethey were proclaiming a Kingdom on earth that would replace allpresent orders.

They were taken from Cluj to Zalau, and then back to Cluj, wherethey were judged and sentenced: Br. Cornel to six years, Br. Nelu toeight years and Br. Augustin Pop from Sampetru to five years. Theywere all sent together to the prison in Aiud where they actually stayedfor four years and three months.

With tearful eyes, Br. Cornel told us how astonished he was whenhe was arrested.

“I had never imagined before,” he said, “that God would findme worthy of suffering for the Truth. I never thought that I—beingso insignificant—would have to suffer imprisonment and mockingfor Him.”

“Much Joy Is Ours” 137

He acknowledged that the prison years were the richest spiritualtime in his life. He said, “I don’t even know where those four yearshave gone—they went so fast and easily!”

Together with our brethren, there were seventy-five Jehovah’sWitnesses sentenced to prison. Some of them received jars of jamand honey from their families—but inside of them there were thinsheets of papers with chapters from the Bible! These scriptureswere copied on chocolate wrappers, but then were destroyedbecause there were frequent searches. For every pencil or piece ofpaper found, the prisoners were severely punished.

During work hours, the brethen would continually repeat theverses learned, and during their walk they would listen to oneanother’s verses. These verses were also helpful during theirdoctrinal discussions.

Br. Cornel remembers with pleasure the moments when he and Br.Nelu were singing together in prison. There he composed a hymn,“Much Joy Is Ours.”

Br. Cornel’s exceptional memory made him famous in prison ashaving the best knowledge of the Bible.

Br. Nelu made this observation about him.It appears that Br. Cornel has only beautiful memories from his

detention years. He did not talk to us about the difficult conditionsand sufferings—but about the joys of those years.

When asked to address a message to the younger generation, Br.Cornel said:

“Do not be afraid of anything—difficult experiences, sufferings,not even death. We know that this body must be left in death. We lovethe young people, and we see that the Lord raises faithful people at alltimes. May it be that you will keep your faith to the end!”

If in a difficult hour we will receive encouragementbecause we have remembered a detail from the lives of these brethren, then this book will have

reached its mission abundantly.(Quoted from Page 140)

CHAPTER NINE OF MEMOIRS

OUR LEGACY OF MEMOIRSFOR A DIFFICULT HOUR AHEAD

Many other brethren, no doubt, might have had their testimoniesrecorded along with these eight precious Memoirs. But theseincluded were the reports that were accessible at this time.

Even though their expressions are sometimes awkward, werecorded their words in simplicity to keep this record as authenticas possible. This approach is very important—because it allowsus to understand the way in which God worked at that time for acertain purpose. It also helps us to appreciate the faith, courage,steadfastness and long suffering expressed through the sufferings ofsome of our fellow warriors.

The same brethren who exhibited these virtues testified withhumility to the fact that they were subject to mistakes . . . that theyhave not always measured up to the divine standards . . . that oftenthey have cried bitterly realizing their faults and weaknesses. Inthose times they have cried for help. They received it, and Godcontinued to work in their lives—giving them the courage and thestrength to continue.

Living in our times, we are tempted to believe that we areprotected by the law and man’s rights represent an unbreakableguarantee. In other words, we are comforted by the thought thatsuch calamities cannot happen to us—confiscation of our assetsand property, falsified court cases, unjust sentences, condemnationto limited freedom—or prison—for years, harsh and sometimes

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140 Conclusion

inhumane corporal treatment. It is possible that these things willnot happen to us.

But still, more than ever before, as we press toward the fullestablishment of the Kingdom, the travail of history is likely tointensify again. But we are confident that if God will permit suchexperiences that we do not expect in the present time, we will not betaken by surprise. If we can remember the example of these warriorsof faith—and the promises and hopes they clung to—we can beready and faithful.

If in a difficult hour we will receive encouragement because wehave remembered a detail from the lives of these brethren, thenthis book will have reached its mission abundantly.

The One who worked in His saints throughout the Gospel Age, theOne who worked with the brethren in this book—may He also workin us so that whatever we will have to go through, we will bring honorto His name!

MAP INDEXAlmas River Valley

47.20N-22.12EBozolnic 46.97N-23.23EChendremal 47.01N-23.28EMierta 47.00N-23.18ERuginoasa 45.13N-24.44ESanmihaiu 47.16N-23.30ESinpetru 47.06N-23.35ESutor 46.98N-23.25E

Cities/Villages On MapAiud 46.19N-23.44EAninoasa 44.47N-24.10EArad 46.10N-21.20EBaia-Mare 47.40N-23.35EBalta Braila 44.54N-22.38EBistrita 47.15N-24.30EBrailia 45.27N-28.20EBucharest 44.27N-26.10ECluj-Napoca 46.45N-23.30EGalati 45.27N-28.20E Gherla 47.20N-23.57E Iapa 47.93N-23.83ELupeni 45.21N-23.13EManastiereni 45.01N-24.18EOcna Mures 46.23N-23.55EOradea Oradea 47.20N-21.58ERodna Veche 47.25N-24.49ERuginoasa 45.13N-24.44ESadu 45.66N-24.18ESibiu 45.45N-24.90ESighetu Marmatiei 47.5N-23.54ESlatina 44.43N-24.36ESurduk 47.15N-23.25ETimisoara 45.43N-21.15ETirgu Mures 46.31N-24.38ETurda 46.34N-23.47E

Vacaresti 44.13N-25.01EVulcan 45.23N-23.17EZaläu 47.11N-23.03E

Cities/Villages Not on MapApahida 46.82N-23.75EAstileu 47.03N-22.38EBica 46.78N-23.08ECabesti 46.01N-22.36ECalinesti 45.14N-24.20ECorgeuti 48.22N-27.04ECriva 48.27N-26.67ECucerdea 46.40N-24.26EFeldru 47.28N-24.60EFeleac 47.08N-24.25EFinisel 46.68N-23.41EGilau 46.45N-23.23EIleanda 47.20N-23.38EMicus 46.65N-23.61EMintiu 47.23N-24.36ENimigea 47.28N-24.31EPaniceni 46.80N-23.20EPanticeu 47.03N-23.56EPeriprava 45.40N-29.53ERadauti 47.50N-25.59ESalsig 47.53N-23.30EStulpicani 47.46N-25.76EUlciug 47.43N-23.18EVoitinel 47.88N-25.76EZimbor 46.93N-24.21E

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145

PageBrethren, Groups:

Chart, Brethren by Age .......... 62Cluj Ecclesia (top) ................. 30Cluj Ecclesia (below) ............ 30First Visit of Foreign Brethren

in 1990 ............................... 58Manastireni Brethren ............. 44Ocna Slatina Ecclesia ............ 27Rebuilding Meeting Hall

in Cluj ................................. 58Romanian Brethren at

International Convention,Poitiers, France, 1994 ......... 58

Sadu Ecclesia ......................... 27Valley of the Cherry Tree ...... 47Various Meetings (top) ........... 28Various Meetings (below) ...... 28

Individual Brethren:Bote, Petru ............................. 76Budiu, Gheorghe .................... 51Burlacu, Elena ........................ 32Burlacu, Ion .......................... 32Ferencz, Katy ......................... 16Filipoiu, Elena ........................ 68Filipoiu, Iacob ........................ 68Filipoiu, Onisim ..................... 71Fodor, Anuta ................... 92, 104Fodor, Lazar ................... 92, 104Galis, Nelu ........................... 122Hurdubaia, Maria ................... 16Hurdubaia, Vasile ................... 16Intea, Maria ............................ 54Intea, Vasile ............................ 54Kiss, Josef .............................. 8Mogojan, Sandu ..................... 82

PageNegrea, Cornel ..................... 134Petrita, Iancu .......................... 88Sima, Iacob ............................ 19Sima, Letitia ........................... 19Szabo, Karl .............................. 8

Literature:Handwritten Index of

Scriptures quoted in Vol. 6, Studies in the Scriptures ..... 50

Typewritten Page of Volume II ............................ 53

Printed between 1920-1925 24

Maps:Romania ....................... 142-143 “The Great Romania” ......... 4

Other Items:Cross and Crown .................. 138Dawning of the Harvest .... 1 Left“John 8:32, 38” ...................... 57“Joyful Light” ........................ 75Old Printing Press .................. 40“Prepare Yourself” ................. 87Prison, Sighetu Marmatiei ..... 66Wheat ..................................... 15

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